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Teaching English Online: Fun ESL Online Game and Activity Ideas

If you’re teaching English online and are looking for some activities, lesson plan ideas, and other resources, then you’re certainly in the right place. Keep on reading for everything you need to know to teach English online and ESL lessons online!

E SL Activities and Ideas to Teach English Online

Let’s get into the top activities for teaching ESL online and English teaching ideas for teaching on the Internet. Or, you may also want to check this out: Tips for Online ESL Teaching.

#1: Picture Prompt ESL Warm-Up

A nice warmer activity for teaching English online is to choose a picture that lends itself well to the topic of the day. This can help students to activate their prior knowledge about a topic. Depending on the level, there are various things you can get students to do:

• Say words of things they see
• Make predictions about what will happen next
• Relate what they see to their own experiences
• Make sentences based on the picture
• Answer some simple questions

#2: Flashcard Sentences for Teaching English Online

I LOVE to use flashcards when teaching English online. There are just so many things you can do with them but the simplest thing is to use them as a vocabulary review. Or, take it one step further and get students to make a sentence with the word that they see.

Another option to show students two flashcards and have them make a sentence using a comparative adjective. Or, one card and then using a superlative. The possibilities are endless! Check this out: ESL Flashcard Sentences.

#3: Retell the Story Speaking Fluency Activity

If you ask your students what they want to improve, many of them will say that they want to speak fluently. This is a great goal. However, it can be difficult to get them to just “speak faster.”

This is one activity designed to work on fluency. The student has to tell a story of some kind for 1.5 minutes. Then, they have to tell it again with all the same information but it only 1 minute. Then, it gets reduced again to 30 seconds. Find out more here: ESL Speaking Fluency Activity .

• Amazon Kindle Edition
• Bolen, Jackie (Author)
• English (Publication Language)
• 50 Pages - 01/21/2016 (Publication Date)

#4: Breaking News English

If you’re an English teacher, whether online or in the classroom, then you’re going to need to know about Breaking News English ! It’s some serious English teaching gold and one of the top options for listening passages or reading articles. They come in a variety of different levels too.

Not just that though. All of that material comes along with entire lesson plans that you can literally just print off and take to class. It really is that easy to have better online ESL classes if you check out this site.

#5: Role Plays and Teaching English Online

If your student has specific reasons for learning English such as traveling or talking with patients or customers in English, then you may want to consider doing some role-plays. For example, you could be the patient while the doctor interviews you, or a customer who is phoning to place on order.

Doing this with your student will give them some serious confidence to be able to go out into the real world and do the same thing. Find out more here: ESL Role-Plays.

#6: English Writing Fluency Practice

If your students want to improve their writing skills, it’s easy to focus on accuracy. However, fluency in writing is a little bit more difficult.

However, one exercise you can do this is this one, either for a few minutes in class or as a homework assignment:

How to Write More Quickly in English .

• 169 Pages - 04/13/2020 (Publication Date)

#7: Use an ESL Textbook

There are three schools of thought when it comes to teaching English online:

• Using materials provided by the platform you’re working on (sometimes mandatory)
• Piece together materials from various websites and books
• Follow an ESL textbook from start to finish

The third option certainly has some merit if the student’s goal is to improve their general English ability and not for some very specific purpose. This is because following through a textbook series will cover new grammar and vocabulary in an organized fashion and also provide lots of opportunities for practicing a variety of skills.

#8: Ideas for Food and Drink Vocabulary

#9: Film English

If your students are into movies, then you may want to check out Film English when planning your ESL online classes. There is a wealth of material here and it would be easy to plan an entire course based on this website!

Not only are the movie choices interesting and suitable for a variety of different levels but the lesson plans are robust and contain a variety of different exercises.

#10: What are you Cooking?

This is a fun activity that’s perfect if you’re talking about food. The way it works is that you give each other a list of ingredients and then you have to plan a 3-course meal with it. It’s a friendly competition to see who can produce the best menu!

Sounds fun? Try it out here: What are you Cooking ESL Activity .

#11: English for Specific Purposes (English Proficiency Tests)

In my experience, many of the students I’ve taught online have the goal of improving a score on a certain English proficiency test whether that’s TOEFL, TOEIC, IELTS or something else. If this is the case, it can be useful to spend some time helping them with their general English abilities, but then also spend time working on the specific skills required for that exam.

In general, these exams do measure English proficiency. However, if you’re not familiar with the test format, you won’t do that well, no matter how good at English you are! Here’s some advice for this specific exam: TOEIC Speaking Test Samples.

• 55 Pages - 01/19/2016 (Publication Date)

#12: Just a Minute Speaking Warm-Up

A nice warmer activity, if you teach ESL online, is Just a Minute. Consider doing this at the start of every class together! And of course, you can do it as well and your student can listen and ask some follow-up questions.

Want to know more about this activity that will help improve speaking fluency? Find out all the details: Just a Minute ESL Speaking Activity.

#13: Story Timeline ESL Reading Activity

One of my favorite things to do when teaching English online is to read a short story or novel together with my students. I generally assign a chapter or two for homework and then in class, we can discuss it together.

There are a number of post-reading activities to consider using in order to get the most value out of this. Here’s one of them that tests reading comprehension by getting students to put the events from the story in the correct order. Find out more here:

Story Timeline Reading Activity .

#14: British Council Learning English

You’ll definitely want to check out the British Council for some lesson planning resources. This section is designed for English learners and it is certainly possible for students to use this for independent study. However, there is lots of good stuff there to use in classes as well, covering all the skills and other things too like business English.

#15: Dialogue Substitution

#16: Current Events Presentation

If your student has to regularly make presentations as part of their job, then you may want to consider having them do a presentation project. In this case, students have to pick a topic that’s been in the news lately and then talk about various things related to that.

Sounds like something you want to try out? Find out how to do it here: ESL Current Events Presentation .

#17: Making some Predictions

People love to make predictions about the future! It’s been happening as long as humans have been on the Earth. I find this to be a very interesting topic for teaching English online as well, and of course, it lends itself very well to using future tense verbs.

Here are some of the best ideas for this: ESL Making Predictions Activities .

Activities to teach ESL online

#18: Business English Vocabulary

If you teach businesswomen or men, then consider teaching them some business vocabulary, including phrases, expressions and idioms. Here are some dialogues that contain more than 300 of them in American English:

• 128 Pages - 11/25/2020 (Publication Date)

#19: More Ideas for Teaching English Online

Check out this podcast episode from Let’s Talk TEFL with Shannon Felt:

#20: Sentence Building Activities

In my experience teaching English, spending some time working on sentence structure has never been wasted time. This is often something that students struggle with, but mastering this important skill can make a huge difference in their writing and speaking.

There are lots of games and activities to help with this. Check them out here: ESL Sentence Building Activities .

#21: Speaking Fluency Activity

#22: Choose your Own Adventure Writing Activity

Choose your Own Adventure is a fun and engaging ESL writing activity to try out with your online students. It’s ideal for doing as homework, with groups of students or 1-1 with the teacher. I’ve used it successfully with children, teenagers, and adults.

Try it out today: Choose your Own Adventure English Writing Activity .

#23: Technology ESL Lesson Plan

If you want to have an interesting discussion with your online student about a topic that’s relevant to just about everyone, consider using this one about technology. It contains everything you need to talk about this topic for 1-1.5 hours or so and is engaging.

I think you’ll find it as interesting as your student does! Check it out here:

ESL Technology Lesson Plan .

If you’re looking to level up your use of tech in the classroom, be sure to have a look here:

Technology in ESL Classrooms .

#24: Five Senses ESL Vocabulary Activity

This is a very versatile vocabulary activity that can be done through either speaking or writing. Find a common object to show your students such as a carrot or chocolate bar. I generally prefer food so that students can also use the “taste” sense.

Then, students have to think of words that describe that object which falls under the five senses. It can be done through either speaking or writing. Find out more information about it here:

#25: Conditionals ESL Activities

In English, conditionals are often used to express things like future possibilities or what might have happened in the past. They are a little bit tricky in terms of grammar which is why I like to focus on them for at least once class a semester, even with more advanced students. Plus, this grammatical point often leads to some interesting discussions. More details here:

Conditionals ESL Activities .

#26: English Idioms and Phrases

Check out this lesson plan, Best of Both Worlds if your student wants to improve their vocabulary, particularly idioms and phrases. If you like it, consider checking out the book where you can find 30 of this style of TEFL lesson plan.

• 70 Pages - 11/07/2020 (Publication Date)

#27: Business English Pod

If you teach business English online, then this should be your #1 stop! Business English Pod is heavy on the listening but covers all the other skills reasonably well and focuses on things that business students will find relevant. For example, telephone conversations, negotiations, business emails, etc.

There is a paid version of this site but in general, I’ve found that the free version is useful enough for my needs. However, if you teach online business English exclusively, then consider the upgrade.

#28: Prepositions of Place Memory Quiz

Try out this simple online game with your students:

#29: Teaching ESL With Movies

For ESL lessons online, I love to use some movie or TV clips. They are a nice lead-in to just about any kind of vocabulary or grammar lesson, as long as you choose the right clip! Most students really enjoy TV shows and movies, so why not bring them into the classroom too?

Find out more about having some fun with movies in an ESL lesson online:

Teaching English with Film .

#30: Dictogloss

#31: Talking about Controversial Questions

I love to talk about interesting things with my students! A nice activity, if you teach a class online, is to have students prepare for, and then have a small debate with their classmates. The key is choosing a controversial topic that’ll generate a lot of discussions. Here are some ideas:

Controversial Debate Topics .

Pointless Debate Topic Ideas .

#32: TEFL Warm-Up Activities

#33: ESL Short Stories

If students want to work on reading comprehension, one of my favourite ways to do that is to use some short stories. It can be a little bit difficult to find interesting stories at an appropriate level though. Not to worry! Here is one of my favourite resources for intermediate-level short stories for English learners:

ESL Short Stories .

#34: Odd One Out

#35: Scatter Sheets for English Learners

If you’re looking for a simple solution for your online classes, then you’ll definitely want to consider these vocab sheets for intermediate or advanced level students. The students can pick up the e-version of the book on Amazon for a couple of dollars and then you can discuss a lesson per class. Find out more here:

Scatter Sheets English Learners .

#36: Twenty Questions

#37: I’m Going on a Picnic

Try out this simple warmer or time-filler activity for all ages and levels:

I’m Going on a Picnic .

Teaching ESL Online FAQs

There are a number of common questions that people have about ESL lessons online. Here are the answers to some of the most popular ones.

How can I teach ESL online?

There are a number of companies where you can teach ESL online. Some of the most popular ones include Vipkids, DaDa, Qkids, Gogokid, 51 Talk, and English Hunt.

How do I plan an English lesson online?

To plan an English lesson online, you’ll need to include the following:

• A clear objective of what students will be able to accomplish
• Key vocabulary or grammar
• A context to use these words or grammar
• Controlled practice
• Free practice
• Review or homework assignment

Is teaching English online a good job?

Teaching English online is a good job for people who want to fund travel or hate the 9-5 cubicle job. There are no health benefits in most cases, but you do have a large degree of flexibility over your own schedule and some companies pay quite well.

How can I make online lessons more fun?

Teaching online lessons can be quite challenging but they can certainly be fun. Some ideas to consider are asking the student what topics they’re interested in, using props, videos or other engaging things. Also, make sure to spend some time lesson planning and have a clear objective for each online lesson.

What is an online lesson?

An online lesson is a very popular and effective way to learn just about anything. The teacher and student(s) are connected through a video platform and can talk with each other. This is different from the pre-recorded lessons that don’t happen in real-time.

How can I teach English online with no experience?

Although it’s easier to get a job teaching English online with experience, there are some companies that only require a Bachelor’s degree. Some companies to consider include Cambly, Palfish, Lingoda, Open English, Verbling, and iTalki.

Did you like these Activities and Games for Teaching ESL Online? 

Yes? Thought so. Then you’re going to love this book you can find over on Amazon: 101 Activities and Resources for Teaching English Online . The key to better classes that help you retain students is a variety of engaging and interesting activities and this book will help you do that in style with your online students via Skype, Zoom, or another platform.

You can find the book in both digital and print formats. I recommend keeping a copy on the bookshelf in your office to use as a handy reference guide for planning lessons. Or, take the e-version with you on any device for some serious lesson planning on the go.

Either way, it’ll help improve your online teaching so be sure to pick up a copy on Amazon today:

Tips for Teaching ESL Online Lessons

Teaching ESL (English as a Second Language) online requires its own set of strategies to ensure effective learning and engagement. Here are some tips to make your online ESL teaching successful:

Technical Preparation

• Familiarize yourself with the online platform you’ll be using for teaching.
• Ensure your equipment (computer, webcam, microphone) is in good working condition.
• Have a reliable internet connection to avoid disruptions during the lesson.

Engaging Content for ESL Online Lessons

• Use multimedia resources such as videos, interactive quizzes, and online games to keep lessons dynamic.
• Incorporate real-world materials like news articles, podcasts, and videos to expose students to authentic language use.

Clear Instructions

• Provide clear and concise instructions for activities, assignments, and tasks.
• Check for understanding before moving on to ensure students know what’s expected of them.

Interactive Activities

• Plan activities that encourage active participation, such as discussions, role-plays, and collaborative projects.
• Use breakout rooms for pair or small group work to simulate real-life conversational situations.

Visual Aids in ESL Online Lessons

• Utilize visual aids like slides, images, and diagrams to enhance explanations and make concepts more understandable.

Variety of Skills

• Balance activities that target all language skills: reading, writing, speaking, and listening.
• Incorporate activities that focus on pronunciation and intonation.

Time Management

• Keep track of time during the lesson to ensure all planned activities are covered.
• Plan for breaks if the lesson is longer to maintain student focus.

Personal Connection

• Build rapport by engaging in small talk and showing genuine interest in your students’ lives during ESL lessons online.
• Use their names and refer back to previous lessons to make the experience more personalized.

Adaptable Lesson Plans for Online ESL lessons

• Be prepared to adapt your lesson plan based on students’ responses, questions, and needs.
• Have backup activities in case some activities finish early or take longer than expected.

Feedback and Error Correction

• Provide constructive feedback on both content and language use during online ESL lessons.
• Balance error correction with positive reinforcement to maintain students’ confidence.

Engage with Technology

• Use digital tools like interactive whiteboards, screen sharing, and annotation features to enhance your teaching.

Feedback and Adaptation During ESL Lessons Online

• Regularly ask for feedback from your students about their experience and adjust your teaching methods accordingly.

Have your Say about Teaching English Online

Do you have any tips or tricks, activity recommendations, or resources to teach English online that you’d like to share with us? Please leave a comment below and let us know what you think. We’d love to hear from you.

Also be sure to give this article a share on Facebook, Pinterest, or Twitter. It’ll help other busy online ESL teachers, like yourself, find this useful teaching resource.

Last update on 2024-04-14 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

About Jackie

Jackie Bolen has been teaching English for more than 15 years to students in South Korea and Canada. She's taught all ages, levels and kinds of TEFL classes. She holds an MA degree, along with the Celta and Delta English teaching certifications.

Jackie is the author of more than 100 books for English teachers and English learners, including 101 ESL Activities for Teenagers and Adults and 1001 English Expressions and Phrases . She loves to share her ESL games, activities, teaching tips, and more with other teachers throughout the world.

You can find her on social media at: YouTube Facebook TikTok Pinterest Instagram

I can#t find the example of the activity “Find the reference” which is mentioned in your book, can you give a hint, please?

Mona Schobesberger

Great tips, thank you!! :)

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Making English Fun

15 Of The Best ESL Speaking Games And Activities.

For English language learners speaking is probably one of the most important and most feared language skills they have to learn . They may be shy, in both languages, or they may be afraid of making a mistake in front of their friends or classmates.

One of the best ways to overcome this is to use English games and activities , introduce some fun into the lessons and these fears suddenly become less important.

We have been teaching English for a lot of years and here are 15 of the best English Speaking games and activities we have researched and trialed in our classrooms. They have been massively useful to us over the years, so we hope they are for you as well.

We have researched English Speaking Games for all levels, backgrounds and ages of students. Activities like the ”Yes/No game. Call My Bluff, On Call” can all be scaled to address student needs. Utilizing speaking games for students is a proven way of maximizing participation and retention of language.

It is important to try to over come students initial fears of speaking, No one likes to make mistakes or look foolish so creating a risk free and non judgmental environment in your classroom is vitally important.

I often try to speak in the students first language to show them that of course people make mistakes, and that is perfectly acceptable , of course some times funny, and nothing NOTHING to worry about!

This is a more difficult task with adult learners, but still achievable highlighting their motivations for learning the language and how it can benefit them at the beginning of sessions helps with this, especially if you go on to highlight how speaking is going to be the most important skill in the vas majority of these situations. In careers, social occasions and travel.

Speaking is the most important skill they will learn. One thing both younger and older students have in common? We all like to have fun. These speaking games below can all be adapted to suit either a Kindergarten classroom, ESL or otherwise, or a boardroom training session. There is something for every classroom situation.

Also where we have them on our site we will link to the files for you to download to make it more convenient for you. If you want to jump to a specific game just click on the list below .

Just before we jump into these 17 ESL Reading Games and Activities we have the four skills covered on the site. Speaking, Reading, Writing and Listening.

You can access the pages from the links below or click on the image to download them all in one PDF file for $2.99 or the price of a coffee ( a good one we admit! )

The Best ESL Games and Activities – 4 Booklets in 1

• The Best ESL Listening Games and Activities.
• The Best ESL Speaking Games and Activities.
• The Best ESL Writing Games and Activities.
• The Best ESL Reading Games and Activities.

English Speaking Games and Activities

• 30 Second Speech
• Logic Game – Downing Street
• ESL Directions Game
• Speaking Activities – Expressions
• Speaking Activities – Responses
• Mallets Mallet – Word Association Speaking Game
• Make a Wish – Speaking Game
• YES / NO Speaking Game.
• Pictionary – English Speaking Game
• Call My Bluff / Would I lie to you
• Show and Tell

1. 30 Second Speech

This English speaking activity is both fun and useful. The aim is to get students to speak for 30 seconds about topics that may or may not be out of their comfort zone. We have a list of topics here for you to choose from, and of course you can think of your own.

There are two ways to approach this, you can introduce the task by asking them to work individually first, or move straight onto the game below.

• Introduce the idea to the group and say that we will be focusing more and more on their speaking and presenting skills and that this lesson will be a bit of fun and good practice.
• Ask how long 30 seconds is…. Is it a long time? (Relative of course!)
• Say that they are going to be talking for 30 seconds about something they know about and that they have only 1 minute to prepare.
• You can work your way around the class, or split your class into teams to do this depending on
• Work your way round they class giving people a go at trying to speak for 30 seconds.

The 30 Second Speech game

As they practice the task above write the rules on the board and split class in half

• 1) Pick a subject
• 2) Talk for 30 seconds
• 3) No hesitation or repetition ( although of course they are learning so be lenient with this!)
• 4) If you can’t talk for 30 seconds the other team will get a chance to finish your time.
• 5) If they can finish the time they will get the points instead.

Adaptations:

• You can change the amount of time depending on the age and abilities of your students.
• You can choose topics that will appeal to your students, if professional students you can choose topics from their careers for example.
• To do this with varying abilities it is possible to change all aspects. From length of time speaking to the topics chosen.
• you can work as teams and make it competitive or run it as a whole class activity.

2. Logic Speaking Lesson – Downing Street

These type of activities used to be in puzzle magazines all the time. There sis a fair deal of explaining required to them but basically it s a logical fill in the blanks. It is better suited to higher level students, but its a great English Speaking game when adapted properly.

We have a separate page for the full details, and it is in this speaking exercise book ( free download ) but will highlight the basics here to see if it is something that fits your teaching needs.

The aim is to fill in the table with all the information so you know everything about the residents of Downing street. However you have to walk around and ask the rest of the class for that information, only once you have spoken to everyone will you be able to work it out . This is a great English speaking game that gets the whole class taking to each other, and forgetting about the language they are doing that in!

You will need the table worksheet for students to fill in and the list of information and clues both on the links includes here

• Pass out one clue and a table worksheet to fill in to each Student.
• If you have fewer than 20 participants, give each person more than one clue until you run out.
• If you have more than 20 students, cut up more than one copy of each and pass out duplicates to the group
• Do not let participants read each other’s clues.
• As they get the information they can start to fill in their table.
• They must speak and listen to identify, as a group, what they learn from each clue.
• The teachers role is to make sure they are speaking English and to point in the right direction if it gets a little confusing.

Once your students have the answers then it can be gone through together on the board or white board and it adds another speaking element to the lesson. This is a great speaking game for ESL students and other. It really encourages them to speak to each other. As an added bonus for teachers we get to act as facilitator rather than be stuck at the front of the classroom.

Adaptations: It is possible to add clues (carefully to make sure they fit the answers) doing this makes it much easier. The aim is to get the students speaking to each other not just the logic side of the activity.

3. Giving Directions Lesson plan

Ask and respond activities give students the comfort of a script to follow, which means those who are a little self conscious have some scaffolding to work from. It also means these activities are suitable for lower level students who need that extra help

Resources •A copy of a town map, or any town map printable from google for groups of students, a list of place names for students to pick from. We have one designed for younger learners here.

The activity.

• Chose a student from each team (make three teams if you can.) who will come to the front and pick a place to start from the bag and then will pick a place to finish.
• The students mentions the start building and then has to give directions to their team.
• His/her team has to follow as they describe the directions (obviously they cant say the name of the place or the building that they are supposed to go.) If the team has it right they get points.
• You can pre teach turn left, straight on, turn right as needed of course.
• Offer points as you see fit for each team
• Make sure as many get a chance to come to the front and speak as possible.

It is possible to actually have the directions already prewritten for students. This means they can practice reading, speaking and listening in one activity.

Also it is possible to have your class spend a lesson coming up with the directions themselves and then putting them all in a box or bag at the front for the whole class to use. This means you add writing and they are actually using their own work to prepare a lesson.

4. Speaking lessons – Expressions

One of the main problems when teacher oral English speaking lessons is that the class invariably turns into robots. This is not intentional, so much effort goes into speaking in another language that putting emotion and expression into what they are saying comes way , WAY down the list.

So sometimes a little nudge in the right direction is all they need. We have designed an ESL speaking game and lesson to do just that.

• We have a worksheet we have prepared for you with some sentences that will require a lot of expression.
• Write the word expression on the board and ask what is says and what it means
• Explain that although this word can mean making your voice have feeling or emotion, it is also your facial expressions.
• Show them what a voice without expression sounds like (you tube most boring voice in the world or something) or demonstrate yourself.. Let them know intonation and expression are SO important in English that they should try to think about them more.
• Give out the work sheet with examples of sentences on and see let them work out how they should say each sentence to make it more natural.
• Father TED Video here is a reasonable example of boring and dramatic voice. ( there is a bra in it in the first 5 seconds so set it up first if it is likely to cause problems )
• Remind them to try to use not only expression in their voice but in their face as well. Demonstrate how difficult it is to sound sad when you look happy and that by using facial expression it actually makes speaking English easier!
• Have the group work through the sayings and ask them to perform them together.
• As a fun activity write something random on the board (I like peas, where is my pen, I have won the lottery) and have emotions and feelings written on the board. Choose a student number and have them say a phrase normally and then point at a different emotion and see if they can say it like that. If you want to make it a competition see if the rest of the class can work out what emotion they are trying to act out.
• E.g.: Sad but won the lottery, happy but lost their pen etc.

Adding expression to their speech is a large step towards sounding natural and developing English fluency.

5. Responses Lesson

In English to sound more natural we have a set of almost automatic set of responses on hearing good, bad or surprising news. It doesn’t take much to teach these in ESL Speaking lessons and for ESL Students in particular it is a definite confidence builder for them.

• Greet the class and walk around offering compliments to people, you look nice; I like your hair, nice shirt…etc. See what responses you get from this.
• Write RESPONSES on the board and see if they have seen the word and if they can tell you what it means.  Write up congratulations on the board and ask when they would say this. Illicit ideas from the group.
• Repeat but with my cute little rabbit died yesterday and see what they think the correct response should be.
• Give out the worksheet and ask them to work in pairs to see if they can write the correct response to the appropriate sentence. Give them a couple of minutes to do this. Longer if needed. Then choose a student to say one and another student / group to try to give the answer. Work through them all.
• Give life to the responses and let them know if they say sorry their voice has to mean it otherwise it might sound sarcastic. Same with congratulations etc.  So expression is very important in English to make sure the correct meaning is conveyed!
• There are two spaces at the bottom for two sentences for them to write a sentence and then the appropriate response.

As a game you can then repeat the same sort or exercise as the activity above. Have a selection of sentences than usually require a response and then ask for the incorrect response. No one expects you to say congratulations when you tell them your little rabbits died yesterday!!!

6. Word Association Speaking Game

This English Speaking game, together with the YES/NO game below are tied for my favorite game to play with any age student ESL or other wise. They can, and have been, played with second language kindergarten students all the way up to native speaking business people with the same amount of fun. The language from the business people was perhaps a little ruder than the kindergarten children but only a little!

It is a superb English speaking game for ESL students and native speakers. It gets really REALLY competitive. you will need an inflatable hammer they have packs of 12 on amazon for about 12 dollars and that’s it!

This game is based on a old TV show from the UK called Wacaday. In it they had a rather colorful character called Timmy Mallet who, among other things, played a game called mallets mallet. In this game the players, always children, had to think of a word associated with whatever Timmy said. There was no hesitation, repetition, or ummm or errrrrs allowed or they got a bonk on the head. (softly of course) the winner was the one who didn’t get hit!

This is easier to show you than explain so here is a video of it! ( it was the 1980s so excuse the poor quality of the video, and of course the hair styles!)

Two students at a time come to the front and the teacher/helper gives them a word. They have to say a word related to the previous word in 3 seconds or less. They can not repeat, pause or say something unrelated.

If they get it wrong they get a ‘bonk’ on the head and 3 times bonked and a new pair or students comes up or you could even play winner stays on. For fun they can play against the teacher as well.

Here are some ideas.

• MacDonald’s

Water, drink, tea, coffee, sugar, sweet, sour …..

You can make this much slower than the video if you are working with second language or ESL students, and if you don’t want a hammer you can use a rolled up piece of paper or just play it as a point game without the hammer. (its more fun with one of course!)

7. Wish Speaking and Writing lesson.

This is a take on the TV Show Call my Bluff, where contestants have to guess who is lying. In this version students have to guess who wishes / wants what. They can do this by picking and reading a wish out of the bag and then trying to guess who it belongs to. They hav to give a reason why they think that.

Note: I have done this, or a version of this, many times without issue. However there was one time when a student wrote that they wished their parents would get back together which was pretty heartbreaking. Although it is superb to share, in front of a class of other students may not be the time or place. I did of course talk to her after and sought some help from others in the school. It may be worth while including instructions to keep it light.

• I do this by telling the class that i am not their teacher now, I am the genie from Aladdin and that I am going to give them three wishes, but one has to be to make the world a better place, one has to be for their family or friends and the last one can be for them. (And it can’t be I will have x more wishes)
• Give out some scrap paper and let them have a few mins to think about it then they have to write the wishes down but no names.
• Once completed say that we are going to have an activity. The class will have to guess whose wishes are whose.
• You will have three people at the front and need to mix up the pieces of paper. then hand them back to the students. Maybe they are mixed maybe they are not.
• One student at a time will read one of the lists of wishes and the rest of the class have to guess who they think the wishes belong to.
• You can continue till all the students have had a try.

Adaptations: This is also great as an Icebreaker activity for students and teacher to get to know each other. You can keep the activity as wishes or ask them to write three things about themselves. You can even change it to two things true and one lie to add some fun and creativity. ( and to create another English Speaking game called ”would I lie to you” or Call my Bluff.

8. Yes – No Game – Speaking Lesson 

When I said that The Word Association game above and this game were tied as my favorite English Speaking game I lied. This is my number one game. It is just perfect for all levels of English learner. It can be made easier for younger and ESL students and learners and more difficult for higher levels. No matter what level of learner is in the class you can use this game.

Now watch the video to see someone very VERY good at asking the questions in action. (these are native speakers so of course he tries very hard to catch them out and speaks very quickly)

It is better to teacher this to students with at least a basic abilty, but it doesnt have to be high level as you can level the wuestion you ask.

Write up questions on the board and say that today we are going to look at question that are answered with yes/no. .

• The yes no game is from a TV show around the world, people have to come out and answer the questions the teacher (at first) asks. These will nearly all be yes or no questions.
• The student must not answer with yes or no, or nod their head or shake their head, or say uh huh etc etc.
• It sounds easy, but it isn’t!
• They will get carried away with this so take time to calm them down between students, and it is excellent practice for adding language to answers.
• Once they have the hang of it students can also be brought up to ask the questions. The activity then becomes student led and the teacher can observe and advise.

Tips: Ask questions starting with do you, can you , will you etc usually catch students out. Also you can repeat the students answer and add yes, or no to the end and it might catch them out to nod or repeat you.

It is simply awesome to play this and as I said earlier even 5 and 6 year olds quickly grasp this English speaking game. Once i have played it with my students it is the most requested speaking game every lesson following that.

9. Pictionary – English Speaking Game.

Allowing your students to communicate with each other takes off some of the pressure of a whole class environment and allows them to risk take with their English speaking in a less public arena 

In this game, each student in the pair draws a picture, keeping their paper shielded from the eyes of their partner. Ideally, pictures should be fairly simple. Once the picture is complete, they explain to their partner, using words only, how to replicate the image this can be done at a desk or as a whispers type activity across school halls if you want a more physical speaking game.

For example, if a student has drawn the stereotypical square house with a triangle roof, he might say: “draw a house, with a red roof and blue door. He may miss out how many windows, the family in front of it or all manner of details.

This allows the teacher to compare the two drawings with the students and ask what language they could have added to get more details into the picture. This really enables students to start to think about expanding and adding to the phrases they say.

The goal of this game is for each partner to replicate the other’s drawing by listening and understanding these spoken directions. The difference in drawings is often pretty funny as well.

10. Guess who 

Although you can use the Guess Who board game if you have it, its about 15 USD on Amazon if you have a need! It is probably easier and more adaptable for the culture or location you are teaching in to make a simple version with famous people from your area.

Students simpley draw the name of a famous person and photo if needed out of a hat (you’ll need to prepare these slips in advance!) and their partner or the rest of the class tries to guess who is on the paper by asking a series of yes/no questions.

it is a fun and engaging English speaking game that tests questioning knowledge.

11. Call My Bluff / Two Truths and A Lie

This is a similar game to the Make a Wish game above, but Call My Bluff is a more difficult and fun game which is perfect at the start of term as a ‘getting to know you’ kind of game. It is also a brilliant ice breaker between students if you teach classes who do not know one another — and especially essential if you are teaching a  small class size .

The game is excellent for practicing English speaking skills , though make sure you save some time for after the game to comment on any mistakes students may have made during the game. (I generally like to reserve this for after the game, so you don’t disrupt their fluency by correcting them as they speak).

With older groups you can have some real fun and you might be surprised what you’ll learn about some of your students when playing this particular EFL game.

• Why use it?  Ice-breaker; Speaking skills
• Who it’s best for:  Appropriate for all levels and ages but best with older groups

How to play:

• Write 3 statements about yourself on the board, two of which should be lies and one which should be true.
• Allow your students to ask you questions about each statement and then guess which one is the truth. You might want to practice your poker face before starting this game!
• If they guess correctly then they win.
• Extension:  Give students time to write their own two truths and one lie.
• Pair them up and have them play again, this time with their list, with their new partner. If you want to really extend the game and give students even more time to practice their speaking/listening skills, rotate partners or run as a whole class activity.
• Bring the whole class back together and have students announce one new thing they learned about another student as a recap

12. Doctors In

Actually this stems for a party (or drinking) game at universities and can be adapted to what ever vocabulary or topic you are teaching at the time. In the university version we all stick a post it to our foreheads and have to guess the famous person we are. Similar to the Guess who game above. In ESL or Classroom use we can do this with Jobs , animals, furniture, absolutely anything all you need are some post its or similar to stick to peoples heads or backs – anywhere they can not read it. It is a great ESL speaking game for classrooms with limited resources.

• Write the terms, problems or vocabulary you want on to Post It Notes and stick to the students back.
• The Students must walk about asking questions of their students on the word, yes and no questions work better, but longer ones can be used.
• Hopefully Students will be able to get enough information to guess what their word is.
• This game can be adapted for old or young students, or even university students 😉

13. Show and Tell

This classic classroom activity still has a place in modern classrooms. Students simply bring in something they would like to Show and Tell to their classmates. It practices students speaking ability, and their ability to prepare short written scripts that they will have to read. For those not talking it practices their listening ability, especially if you add a could of quiz questions at the end of each show and tell part.

You can change this by having a mystery box and they have to describe the item with out looking to their classmates and have them try to guess ( or the student of course) what it is.

Maybe its because i am writing this just a couple of days after Christmas, but I notice there are a lot of party games in this list. It might be that, but it might also be because they just work. Everyone, young and old, likes to have fun and these games provide that in abundance. Taboo is no exception.

It is simply a deck of cards, you can make your own or pick up a glossy set on Amazon for not much. On the card they have one target word and four words underneath. The player, in one minute or what ever time limit you decide to set has to try to explain what the target word is with out mentioning it, or the four related words underneath.

The beauty of this game is that you can adapt it to whichever topic you have been studying and make it easier or more difficult depending on the age and abilities of your students. It works in ESL and native speaking classrooms.

15. Think Fast

This is a nice physical game for warm up or for end of class consolidation. You just need a bean bag and some ideas.

It is similar to the Mallets Mallet Word assocation game above but involves the who class rather than pairs at the front.

• First have your students stand facing each other in a circle, or as much of one as you can make if you are in a classroom.
• Then explain that you are going to say a topic, maybe animals, or colors anything.
• When you do you are going to throw the ben bag or ball at a student ( to catch not hurt!) and when they catch they have to then say something in that topic,
• Then throw the ball on to another student in the circle.
• That student has to do the same, but it has to be a different word. If they get it wrong, pause or repeat they have to sit down and wait fo the next round.

This is great fun and students of ALL ages get into it very quickly. You can also allow then to pick their own subjects after a few goes.

The simple fact is that students of all ages learn better when they are having fun. If you can try to incorporate some of these English Speaking games and activities into your lessons then you will find that more and more your students are willing to engage and practice the language you are teaching them. There are hundreds more activities, but these are our favorites. We have a booklet of ten of them for free download if you want an idea of some of the resources behind them, but we will also be putting them up on the site as time goes by so you can take them individually as you need.

Hope these helped you as much as they have helped us!

Hi I’m Marc. A teacher of over 15 years, English, General Studies and Outdoor Education. Thought it was about time to sharing both what I have learnt during that time and the resources I have put together. On this site we aim to teach the theory and share our thoughts, but also go that one step further and give you access to the hard resources you need for your class or for you children

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Making English Fun!

I have been a teacher of English for over 15 years, in that time i made hundreds and thousands of resources and learnt so much i think its worth sharing. Hopefully to help teachers and parents around the world.

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ESL Activities

ESL Games, Activities, Lesson Plans, Jobs & More

in Icebreakers + Warm-Ups · Listening · Reading · Speaking · Writing

Teach English Online: The Best ESL Activities for ESL Lessons Online

So, you want to teach English online but aren’t sure what to actually do with your students? I have some good news for you! I’ll share my best ESL games and activities for teaching English online so keep on reading!

Activities to teach English online

Let’s get into the activities for English class online that’ll help keep your students engaged and happy to be learning from home. Keep on reading!

ESL Games and Activities for Teaching English Online

ESL teaching online isn’t difficult if you have a variety of interesting, engaging and student-centred activities at your fingertips. Keep on reading for the top ones to choose from to get started with teaching ESL online.

Or, you may want to check this out too: How to teach English online . If you’re looking for a job, have a look here: Best Online Teaching Jobs for English Teachers .

#1: ESL Role Plays

If your student is studying English for a specific purpose such as travel, being able to converse with their patients as a doctor, nurse or dentist, or someone who wants to serve customers in English as a banker, air steward, etc., then consider doing some role-play topics .

The student can play themselves and you can be the customer, immigration offer, or patient. Mix things up and use some different problems, as well as different responses. The goal is to help your student gain some serious confidence with things they’ll encounter out in the real world.

#2: Dictation Practice

An easy way to practice both listening and writing skills, along with things like spelling and punctuation is to do some dictation work. You can either dictate a passage or individual sentences. Consider starting with single words for low beginners. Learn how to do it here: ESL Dictation Activity .

#3: Dictogloss

If you’re looking for one of the best online ESL activities, try out this one.

This is a challenging listening activity that you can try out if you teach ESL online. The way it works is that you find a passage of some kind and read it at a slightly faster pace than normal. The student has to take notes about what they hear. Then, read it again and finally the student has to recreate what they heard, either by speaking or writing.

Want to give it a try? You can see all the details here: Dictogloss.

#4: Is that Sentence Correct?

This is a quick review activity that you can use for just about anything! The way it works is that you can make some sentences, some of which are correct while others are not. The student has to decide which ones are incorrect and make the required changes.

Besides using it as a warmer or review activity for your online TEFL class, it’s also the perfect homework activity. Find out more here: Sentence Correction Activity .

#5: Film English to Teach ESL Online

If you have students who love watching movies, then consider using Film English. They have a nice variety of shorter and longer films to choose from plus some great activities to go along with them.

For online ESL teaching, it’s certainly possible to watch some of the shorter ones together but the preferred option would be to have the student watch it before class. Then in class, discuss together and finally, assign some writing homework based on it.

• Amazon Kindle Edition
• Bolen, Jackie (Author)
• English (Publication Language)
• 50 Pages - 01/21/2016 (Publication Date)

#6: Proof-Reading and Editing

A nice activity for students who want to improve their writing skills is to focus on proof-reading editing. It’s a super important skill that often gets neglected as the teacher usually just corrects the mistakes!

There are two ways to do this. The first is to provide students with a paragraph with mistakes for them to correct. Or, teach students how to correct their own writing. Find out all the details here: ESL Proofreading and Editing .

#7: ESL Clothing Quiz

Try out this fun, interactive online game with your students:

#8: ESL Reading Lesson Plan

Out of all the skills to work on with ESL online, I generally prefer reading. However, there’s more to reading than just telling students to read! A single paragraph can yield so many more benefits if within the context of a well-organized lesson.

Do you want to know how to do this? Find out here: How to Plan an ESL Reading Lesson .

You’ll also want to check out this resource, short stories for intermediate English learners .

#9: Making Predictions Activities

A fun topic to do with online English teaching is to talk about predictions for the future. It’s time to get your crystal balls out! Find out some of the best things to do here: ESL Prediction Activities and Games .

#10: 20 Questions

Try out this activity that’s ideal for teaching yes/no questions in a lesson plan for teaching English online.

#11: Breaking News English

Let’s get real here for a minute. If you’re an ESL teaching and don’t know about Breaking News English , it’s time to get aquatinted. It’s some serious online English teaching gold.

There are new stories in a variety of levels, along with very detailed lesson plans, or as I prefer, the mini-lessons that are 2 pages and far more manageable.

For online teaching, you can either have students read the article before class or read it together during class. Then, there are a ton of great discussion questions, vocabulary focus activities and more. Then, it’s possible to assign some writing homework, or even some of the activities in the lesson that you didn’t get to in class.

#12: Journaling, a Teaching English Online Writing Activity

One of the best writing homework assignments for teaching English as a second language online is to get students to keep a journal. It’s easy to do and can help students improve their writing fluency in a big way.

The key is that students do this exercise on a regular basis. Daily is best. Find out more about it here: ESL Journaling Activity.

• 55 Pages - 01/19/2016 (Publication Date)

#13: Mixed Up Sentences

Spending some time working on sentence structure when you teach English online will never be a wasted exercise! I love to use this one for my beginner students.

Write down some sentences on a piece of paper but mix up the word order. Students have to work to unscramble it. Check it out here as it makes a nice activity for an ESL lesson online: ESL Mixed Up Sentences .

#14: Business English Pod

If you teach business English online, then you’ll certainly want to check out Business English Pod . It’s heavy on the listening skills and while there is a paid version, I can usually find enough good stuff on there for free. As far as business English goes, it covers just about everything from writing emails to negotiations to telephone calls.

#15: English Conversation Lesson Plan (TV themed)

A nice activity for teaching English online is to use a conversation lesson plan like this one on the topic of TV. After all, many of our online students want to improve their speaking and listening skills and this is the perfect way to do that.

The good news is that this lesson plan has everything you need for a 1-2 hour class with intermediate or advanced level students. It’s one of my favourite ESL lessons online. Print it off right here:

TV ESL Lesson.

Like this TEFL lesson plan? It’s from this book:

• 279 Pages - 07/12/2020 (Publication Date)

#16: ESL Textbooks for Adults

There are various schools of thought when it comes to teaching English online. Some teachers prefer to piece together materials from a variety of sources.

However, there is certainly a case to be made for using one of the 4-skills ESL textbooks and going methodically through it. If students want to generally improve their English skills and aren’t worried about something specific like business English or a TOEFL speaking exam, this can be a great option.

Here are my top recommendations: ESL Books for Adults .

#17: British Council Learning English Online

This website from the British Council is a wealth of resources for both students and teachers. There are activities for all skills, ranging from writing to speaking, business English and more.

In terms of teaching ESL online, it’s possible to use some of these materials in class with your student. Or, consider assigning some of it as homework.

Teaching ESL online

#18: Brainstorming Activities

One of my favourite activities for teaching English online are ones that involve brainstorming. They get some creative juices flowing in a big way and they are a nice option for a review or warmer activity.

There are lots of things to consider using for this. Here are some of my favourites: Fun Brainstorming Games .

#19: Current Events Lesson

A nice complete lesson plan to get some serious conversation going is this one on current events. It’s designed for teenagers or adults who are intermediate to advanced level. It contains the following:

• Warm-up questions
• Vocabulary challenge
• Idioms and phrases
• Conversation questions
• Writing prompts (ideal for homework)

In short, it’s everything you need to have an engaging and interactive conversation lesson with your online students. Have a look here: ESL Current Events Lesson Plan .

#20: English Expressions and Phrases

• 142 Pages - 11/22/2020 (Publication Date)

One of the most useful things we can do is to help our students learn, and know how to use new English expressions and phrases. This will help make conversational English much better if students have a wide variety of these things at their fingertips.

Here’s one example of common English phrases that can be used for offering help. Check them out:

Offering Help English Phrases .

#21: Daily Routine Activities and Games

One of the most interesting topics that I like to talk about for my private English classes is a daily routine. After all, everyone has their own experience to draw from and generally an opinion about what is the best time to get up for example. There are lots of ideas here: Daily Routines ESL Activities .

#22: Dialogue Substitution

#23: Freeze Group Writing Activity

Try out this fun group writing activity with your students. Everyone works together to collaboratively create some stories, line by line with each person adding something new. It’s easy to do using something like Google Drive or whatever online platform you’re using for teaching. Find out more: Freeze ESL Writing Activity .

#24: Closest in Meaning Reading Activity

If you’re looking for a simple, quick reading activity that’s ideal for reviewing vocabulary, then check out closest in meaning. Students have to choose a sentence that most closely resembles the target one. It’s very easy to do this online, or in class. More details: Closest in Meaning ESOL Activity .

#25: Five Senses

Try out this simple warm-up activity to put into a lesson plan for teaching ESL online.

#26: Debates

If you want to help students with their speaking, as well as critical thinking skills, then consider having a debate about interesting or controversial topics. Of course, there are silly and funny things to debate as well. Find out some of the best ideas here: Good debate topics or, Simple Debate Topics .

#27: Advanced English Conversation Dialogues

• 66 Pages - 11/06/2020 (Publication Date) - Independently published (Publisher)

If your students want to improve their English conversation skills by learning more phrases and idioms, then consider recommending this book filled with dialogues in American English to them.

#28: Odd One Out Teach English Online Activity

This is a quick, easy warm-up activity. The way it works is that you list 4 things, one of which doesn’t match and students have to pick that out and tell you why. For example:

• apple, banana, orange, eggplant

Most students will pick eggplant because it’s a vegetable, not a fruit. However, there are many different answers that are acceptable as long as students support it. Find out how to do it here: ESL Odd One Out Game .

#29: Business English Vocabulary

• 128 Pages - 11/25/2020 (Publication Date)

If you teach business people, then consider using some of these dialogues in American English. They are filled with more than 300 business English expressions, idioms and phrases.

#30: Use an ESL Warm-Up to Start the Class

This is one of my favourite online ESL activities.

#31: Vocabulary Sheets

These vocabulary sheets are ideal for teaching English online. Students can buy the e-version of the book easily on Amazon and then you do one lesson per class. If you want a no-prep solution for online classes, then this is it! Find out more here:

Vocabulary Sheets. 

#32: Post-Reading Activities and Strategies

When teaching online, I love to do some reading passages with my students. This is a nice fit because it’s far easier than trying to get students to interact with each other in breakout rooms, etc. For higher-level students, I like to assign a chapter of a simple novel for homework and then we can spend some time in each class discussing what they’ve just read.

The key is getting the most mileage from each passage and diving deeper into it after reading. Here are some of my top ideas for doing that:

Post Reading Activities .

#33: A-Z Alphabet Game

This is a nice warmer activity to include in a lesson plan for teaching English online.

#34: English for Academic Purposes

If the students that you’re teaching online are preparing to study in English-speaking colleges or universities, then it certainly will not be time wasted to teach some English for Academic Purposes (EAP). Check out one of my favourite resources for doing that:

English for Academic Purposes Book . 

#35: Round Robin Story

Try out this simple collaborative writing activity with your online students:

Round Robin Story Activity .

#36: Show and Tell

I love to bring real life into the classroom. A nice way to do that is to get students to talk about something that is special to them. Check out this activity that can be easily done online or in person.

#37: There Is/There Are

There is/there are—they are key concepts for students to master and the bad news is that it can get a little bit tricky when you take into account things like modifiers and uncountable nouns. Have a look here at some of my favourite ideas for teaching this important grammatical concept:

ESL There Is There Are .

#38: Guessing Games to Play

There are lots of great guessing games to play, including some fun online ones. They also make a great option for online ESL/EFL lessons. Have a look here at some of my recommendations:

Fun Guessing Games to Play.

#39: Virtual Tours

Take advantage of technology to virtually explore different places. Show videos or use virtual tour websites to take your students on a virtual field trip and encourage them to describe what they see.

#40: Multimedia Presentations

Have students create short presentations or slideshows on a given topic. This helps develop their research skills, presentation abilities, and language proficiency.

More Online English Teaching Games and Activities

• 169 Pages - 04/13/2020 (Publication Date)

Yes? Thought so. Then you’re going to love this book over on Amazon: 101 Activities and Resources for Teaching English Online . It’s the book you need for online teaching if you want to have engaging, interactive and fun classes that will have your students coming back for more.

You can get the book in both digital and print formats. Consider keeping a copy on the bookshelf in your office to use as a handy reference guide, or taking the digital version to your favourite coffee shop for some lesson planning on the go.

Either way, it’s some online ESL teaching awesome so be sure to pick it up today. But, only if you want to level up your English teaching game in a big way. Head over to Amazon to find out more about it:

Teaching English Online FAQs

There are a number of popular questions that people have about teaching English online. Here are the answers to some of the most popular ones.

Can you Teach English Online Without a Degree?

It’s possible to teach English online without a degree with certain companies like Lingoda or Voxy. However, you’ll have more opportunities and command a higher salary if you do have a BA degree at a minimum.

What do you Need to Teach English Online?

To teach English online, you need a fast, secure Internet connection with a Zoom or Skype account. Plus, you’ll generally need a TESOL or CELTA certificate along with a bachelor’s degree. It’s also vital to be a native English speaker and to have a friendly, patient personality. Also, be sure to use a variety of games and activities.

Can you Make a Living Teaching English Online?

It’s possible to make a living teaching English online. The salary depends on the company but generally ranges from $14 USD-25 USD per hour. The higher qualifications you have and the more difficult subjects you teach, the higher the salary.

Is Teaching Online Legit?

Teaching English online is certainly legit if you stick with one of the more reputable companies like VIPKIDS. There are certainly lots of people who make their living doing this. However, the salaries are generally lower than with in-person teaching at schools and the jobs don’t come with things like health benefits.

How do I make an Online ESL Class Fun?

It’s certainly possible to make an online ESL class more fun by doing some of the following things:

• Use visuals, props and realia.
• Avoid too much text.
• Keep lessons simple and cover over 1 new grammar point or some new vocabulary words (max 10).
• Make use of all your screen space.
• Aim to make lessons as student-centred as possible.
• Positive reinforcement and praise.

If you do these things, it’ll be easy to make ESL lessons online more fun and engaging.

How can I Teach Online Effectively?

If you want to teach online effectively, here are a few tips to follow:

• Master the technology and have back-ups if needed.
• Set the right expectations for student behaviour and learning outcomes.
• Build community when possible.
• Keep track of the time.
• Use a variety of resources in your lessons.
• Cover different topics each lesson.
• Collaborate with other teachers and learn from them.

ESL lessons online

Lesson Plan for Teaching English Online

If you’re looking for a lesson plan for teaching English online, here are a few of the top resources to check out:

Cambridge English

Goats on the Road

Have your Say about ESL Activities to Teach English Online

What do you think about these ESL online teaching activities? Did you try out something from this or do you have another one that you’d like to recommend? Leave a comment below and let us know what you think. We’d love to hear from you.

Also be sure to give this article a share on Facebook, Pinterest, or Twitter. It’ll help other busy online English teachers, like yourself, find this useful teaching resource.

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33 Sure-Fire Strategies & Activities for Teaching English Grammar

Grammar… how do we teach it?

Is it just reciting monotonously from a textbook and hoping that the students are on board?

Can we make it more interactive and dare I say, even fun?

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Read on and find out yourself!

Whether you’re new to teaching English (ESL) or are just looking for new ways to keep things fresh in the classroom, there is something in this guide about teaching grammar for everyone.

After using some of these 33 strategies and activities, don’t be surprised if you’re soon being harassed by other teachers who want to know your secrets!

Why Inspiring Grammar Lessons Are So Important

7 sure-fire strategies and survival tips for your grammar lessons, 13 great games and activities to teach grammar rules, how to teach specific grammar areas, more resources for teaching english grammar.

Grammar in any language is important, that’s a fact and English grammar is no exception. Learning grammar can be no easy task and teaching it can be even harder!

There are a number of reasons that can make teaching grammar a difficult task, including fossilized errors, irregularity of verbs, plurals, etc and vast differences between English and the student’s mother tongue.

Another issue can come from the mindset of the students. If they have experienced dry, boring grammar lessons in the past then they will likely expect the same this time around.

It is important for you to break the mold and allow your great grammar lessons to captivate and inspire your ESL students to get the best results from them.

So… How do we do this?

Let’s have a look at some “survival tips” to help you and your students navigate the jungle that is English grammar.

1. Teaching Grammar in Context

One method of teaching which has had a lot of success is teaching grammar in context.

This makes sense as we created “grammar rules” as a way to make sense of the patterns that we use in the language. They are not arbitrary systems imagined out of thin air.

For this reason, it makes sense to see how these rules apply in the language.

Use different example sentences so that students can see how we can use these rules. It’s important to show why these are useful and why someone would want to use these.

It’s all well and good teaching a student the intricacies of the past perfect tense but if it hasn’t clicked in the student’s mind why they would want to use such a device then it most likely won’t get used in their active language skills.

2. Teaching Grammar Rules Inductively

Inductive teaching is a very useful tool when it comes to teaching grammar. Let’s have a look at how it works.

We start with specific examples such as sentences that all use a particular grammar point. The students then use these examples to come to their own conclusions about what the rule is.

This is in contrast with deductive teaching which starts by teaching the rule/s first and then looking at examples afterward.

This teaching style is great as it starts with a real-world example that already gives the grammar device relevance. It then forces students to engage cognitively instead of passively taking in a presentation which they may or may not be on board with.

The idea is that a student who engages in this way is more likely to understand and retain a particular point.

That being said, while this method can be very successful with some aspects of grammar which are generally straightforward (such as adjectives), there are some areas of grammar (such as articles) where it may not be as effective due to the large number of rules and irregularities that can occur.

3. Grammar Placement Testing

One thing that needs to be known before we start teaching grammar is what the students actually know.

For a class learning English as a foreign language from the very beginning, this is a lot simpler. We can somewhat assume the students are a blank slate and we just need to stick to the syllabus.

Maybe some have had some prior outside tuition and have covered certain areas, these students can be assigned harder tasks to avoid boredom but the vast majority will be at the same level.

If we are teaching one-to-one classes though, our job becomes a little more tricky. Not everyone learns grammar in a fixed order so the things a student knows can be a bit “random”.

Even if they showed you a syllabus of what they have covered, there may be some areas that require doubling back on if they have forgotten or didn’t understand properly in the first place.

How do we know which topics these are?

This is where placement testing becomes extremely useful. The student is given a test designed to test them on a variety of different grammar points. From this, the teacher is able to see where the student’s weaknesses are and use that to form a plan of what needs to be studied.

You’ll find free downloadable placement tests for different student levels here .

4. Teaching Grammar Through Writing

Writing is fundamental for teaching grammar. When explaining structure you and your students need to see what is happening in order to make sense of it.

The nice thing about practicing writing (compared to speaking) is that it gives the students time to think and work things out. You can plan worksheets beforehand to work through and these can also be used to set homework.

Browse our archive of grammar worksheets here on JIMMYESL .

5. Teaching Grammar in the Conversation

There is something to using grammar by using conversation too.

It may be worth doing this after the student has had a chance to practise with writing first to boost their confidence.

A good idea is to have a free conversation session at the end of the lesson where you can use the new grammar concept. This is more likely to have the concept “stick” when the student speaks in the language in the future.

Need ideas for conversational lessons? Here are 7 easy ESL speaking activities and a huge list of ESL conversation starters and questions .

6. Teaching Grammar to Kids vs. Adults

Teaching children and teaching adults can be two very different things!

Let’s look at some of the differences.

When teaching children , a big challenge is engagement. Expecting a class of 6-year-olds to sit still for an hour and watch you explain grammar points on a board is not realistic.

Doing activities that get them physically involved (games), mixing up activities often and using examples with things like pictures will help draw them into the subject.

Also, it’s a good idea not to drop too much on them at once. Maybe introduce the present simple tense into a class on verbs, instead of bombarding them on all of the simple tenses and their rules for a whole class.

Teaching adults with regards to grammar can sometimes be easier. Adults tend to have a little more patience and are usually ok taking their time to focus on each point without needing a new activity every few minutes or a game to liven things up.

That being said, some variety is still needed to keep them interested but there is less pressure in this area than with children.

Adult beginners will usually go along with the tasks set and will only really ask things if they don’t understand something.

Be aware though that the more advanced students can ask you a lot of background questions about a particular topic especially if they are very interested — e.g “why would we use the past perfect continuous instead of the past simple?” — so it’s a good idea to make sure you are prepared!

7. Tackling Common Grammar Mistakes

It’s important to tackle common mistakes early before they become fossilized, otherwise, it can be an uphill battle!

Here are some of the common grammar mistakes you should watch out for with your students:

• Adding “s” to noncount nouns
• Missing articles
• Improper placement of adverbs
• Subject / verb agreement

If you are teaching a particular grammar point then it is important to stop a student and correct them immediately if they make a mistake related to that grammar point.

I’ve seen students self-correct after just a few of these interruptions so it doesn’t take long!

To reinforce these points you can set homework (such as essay questions) that are designed to get the student to use the taught grammar.

Having a list of fun games and activities for your class is a necessity.

Not only will you have great material for your lesson plans but you will also feel confident knowing you have something to fall back on if things don’t go according to plan or if you start losing the students’ attention.

1. (Reverse) Taboo

Subject: Adjectives

A student has to get either the teacher or other students to guess a particular word by only using adjectives to describe what it is.

A ball – “round, bouncy”

2. Sentence Expansion

Subject: Adverbs

Write a simple sentence. Then get the student to insert an adverb.  

“He eats sandwiches.” – “He eats sandwiches noisily. ”

3. Article Drop

Subject: Articles

Take a section of a text and remove all of the articles from it. The students have to put the articles back in where they think they should go.

For a more competitive element, you could split the class into two teams who have to work together to complete the task first.

“[…] man went to […] shop and bought […] ice cream.”

Subject: Determiners

Split the students into groups and get them to ask the other group for things like “that pen” or “those sweets” etc.

“Have you seen that boy over there?”

“Do you like this pair of jeans?”

5. He/she said…

Subject: Direct and Indirect Speech

Pair students up. Have student 1 say a sentence. Get student 2 to tell us what student 1 said. Carry on from student to student.

If you are teaching one to one lessons then you could always use a scene from a movie and get the student to tell you what the actors said.

Student 1 “Yesterday I went to school.”

Student 2 “Student 1 said he went to school yesterday.” – “I want an apple.”

Student 3 “Student 2 said she wants an apple.” – “I like cats.”

6. Fact Finder

Subject: Gerunds or Present Participle

Pair students up and get them to find out five facts about the other. These facts must be made up of at least one gerund or present participle.

“Jane likes snowboarding”

“Ben is studying English”

7. I Spy With My Little Eye

Subject: Nouns

A classic for beginners. Use the phrase “I spy with my little eye, something beginning with…” followed by the first letter of a noun that is in the room. The other students have to guess what the word is.

Student 1 “I spy with my little eye something beginning with ‘a’.”

Student 2 “Is it an axe?”

Student 1 “No.”

Student 3 “Is it an apple?”

Student 1 “Yes!”

8. Voice Switch

Subject: Active and Passive Voice

Ask the students to convert a sentence from an active voice to the passive voice and vice versa.

“The man ate the cookie.” -> “The cookie was eaten by the man.”

9. Whose Is It?

Subject: Possessives

Give an object (e.g. a ball) to a student and ask the others whose it is (“his”, “Jim’s”, etc).

Repeat this a few times and then move on to splitting the class into groups so that this time it is now “theirs” / “ours” etc.

“Whose is this?”

“It is Jane’s”

“Good, and whose is this?”

“It is mine.”

10. Guess Who

Subject: Relative Clauses

You can use the classic game “guess who”. The rules are the same as the original. Each person has a collection of faces in front of them, they also have a card with one particular face on. They then each take it in turns to ask questions and find out which card the other player has.

The difference with this game is that we have to use a relative clause in our questions.

The students have a selection of faces in front of them.

They have to find out the chosen face by asking questions:

“Do they wear glasses?” – “Is it someone who wears glasses?”

11. Interview

Subject: to-Infinitives

Pair the students up and one can be the interviewer while the other can be the interviewee. The aim is to find out what the person being interviewed “likes to do”.

After they have a few answers, students swap roles. This is designed to test “to-infinitives” so make sure the students use the “to verb” format in their answers.

“What do you like to do?”

“I like to ski.”

12. Delegation

Subject: Causative Verbs

Split the students into groups of three: the boss, the boss’s assistant, and the worker. The boss needs to get the assistant to ask the worker to do a task.

Boss: “Have Student C stack the documents.”

Assistant: “Stack the documents.”

Worker: “Ok.”

Rotate this so everybody gets a turn.

You can also have the students use “get” after a few repetitions. (Make sure to explain that “get” is more casual.)

13. Simon Says

Subject: Verbs and Verb Tenses

This is a great one for getting the attention of younger learners when teaching verbs. Say the sentences “Simon says…” and then add a phrase after it such as “jump up”. The students then have to do what you say.

“Simon says ‘stand up’”

*Class stands up

“Simon says ‘sit down’”

*Class sits down

Now that we have gone over an overview of grammar overall, it’s time to look at the methods of delivery for each specific area.

It goes without saying that you need to be comfortable with whatever topic you are delivering so that you are prepared in case you get any of those “curveball questions”. These sections will look at the teaching of each topic. For the background information, there is a more in-depth resource list at the end of the article.

1. Adjectives

What are adjectives? : Describing words for nouns.

“The tall building.” / “The ball is red .” / “That car is expensive .”

Adjectives are quite straightforward. Most languages will have an equivalent so it is quite an easy concept to grasp. Getting the student/s to use the adjectives will prove very useful and will help them “stick” a bit better when they can be visualized.

More info on adjectives .

What are adverbs? : Describing words for verbs, adjectives and other adverbs.

“He suddenly woke up.” / “The car is very small.” / “She sings really well.”

Now adverbs get a little trickier. Students often struggle with getting the order of words right with adverbs. A good idea is to split the adverbs up into groups (degree, time, manner, etc) and teach each group individually before moving on to the next.

Seeing these adverbs used in context will be very useful and getting the students to identify which type of adverb is being used in a sentence will also help get them to think about their own word order.

More info on adverbs .

3. Articles

What are articles? : They tell us if a noun is specific or general.

“I have a car.” / “Do you want an apple?” / “I will take the day off work.”

Articles are a simple concept to begin with. Most students who have spent any time with the language knows that we have to use them but they do get a fair amount of misuse. More exposure to the language and seeing lots of example sentences help to see how they are used.

More info on articles .

4. Determiners

What are determiners? : Pointing words.

“I want that one.” / “Do you want these ?” / “No, I want those ones.”

These are some of the first things a student will learn on their English journey. As it is likely to be children you are teaching, it may help to be a little more interactive and use props to help engage them in the lesson.

More info on determiners .

5. Direct and Indirect Speech

What is direct and indirect speech? : Quoting speech

“He said ‘hello’.” / “She said she would text me.” / I said that yesterday.”

This is a great area to get your students interacting with each other and testing their listening skills at the same time.

More info on direct and indirect speech .

6. Gerunds and Present Participle (ing-form)

What are gerunds and the present participle? : Making nouns from verbs

“He is running down the street.” / “I am working in a school.” / “I like playing football.”

These are good to teach at the same time. As they both have the same ending it is easy for students to get the two confused.

This is where inductive teaching can play a valuable part.

Put two sentences on the board, one of these sentences uses a gerund and the other has a sentence in the continuous tense.

First, ask students if they can spot the difference. If they can’t guess it then start asking questions such as “where is the verb in this sentence?” or “where is the noun?”.

Once you’ve drawn their attention to that and explained the difference then they should be able to guess any more examples you send their way.

More info on gerunds and present participles .

What are nouns? : Names / objects.

“This is a ball .” / “Hello, my name is Tim .” / “There is a lot of information here.”

It’s very easy to explain these to beginners and nouns are some of the first words that students learn. In English there are certain rules that have to be obeyed though such as:

• Capitalization
• Singular / plural nouns
• Count vs Non-count

We can also open things up by talking about topics such as compound nouns, collective nouns as well as abstract nouns.

More info on nouns .

8. Passive Voice

What is the passive voice? : When something is done to the subject.

“The cookie was eaten.” / “The signature was forged.” / “The person was murdered.”

The passive voice is extremely useful when teaching students who are studying for things such as IELTS (that requires a high level of academic writing). It is worth setting these students essay questions for homework on a regularly basis and getting them to use the passive voice in their answers.

More info on the passive voice .

9. Possessive

What are possessives? : Belonging words.

“That is my car.”/ “This is yours .” / “The summer of love.”

For beginners we can use flashcards or the students themselves to demonstrate the possessive form and it shouldn’t take too long to grasp. The difficulty usually comes in when trying to decide where the apostrophes go in things like singular and plural nouns. For this reason it’s a good idea to teach these around the same time as singular vs plural.

More info on possessives .

10. Relative Clauses

What are relative clauses? : A clause that adds additional information to a sentence.

“I went to the place where I was born.” / “I bought a dress that looks really nice.” / “This is that person who I told you about.”

Relative clauses can be a messy area. It’s a good idea to take things slowly and lay the groundwork. First look at sentence structure, look at the differences between phrases, clauses and sentences. Once you have this locked down then you can build that and introduce relative clauses.

As you get into more technical aspects of grammar like this it is a good idea to get the students to make their own sentences using the construct. With simpler aspects of grammar it’s very easy for them to see the value in a certain point and find the motivation to use it.

When things get more difficult though they will need an extra push in seeing why it has use and why they should use a more difficult sentence structure (compared to using two separate simple sentences.)

More info on relative clauses .

11. The To-Infinitive

What are to-infinitives? : Verbs that can be used as nouns or paired with other verbs.

“I want to go .” / “He needs to do his homework.” / “She has to buy a ticket.”

When tackling the topic of to-infinitives it is most likely a good idea to bring gerunds into the mix as they can sometimes act in similar ways. Start by introducing two sentences, one using a to-infinitive and one using a gerund:

• I like skiing .
• I like to ski .

Once they have seen that you can use both in similar ways then the next obvious question is “why should we use one or the other?”. At this point you can introduce sentences where one is a preferable choice:

• I want to play football.
• I want playing football.

You can explain the situations where gerunds are prefered and situations where to-infinitives are preferred. After that you can get them to correct mistakes, choose between a gerund or to-infinitive and then finally give them scenarios where they get a chance to form their own sentences with either type of verb.

More info on to-infinitives .

12. Causative Verbs

What are causative verbs? : Making somebody else do an action.

“I had my haircut.”/ “I got Jim to fix the car.” / “I got my house cleaned.”

Causatives are usually a little more advanced but you can still have a lot of fun with them especially as there’s a lot of opportunity to get movement involved and act things out.

More info on causative verbs .

13. Verbs and Verb Tenses

What are verbs and verb tenses? : Actions and when they happen in time.

“I went to the shop.” / “I am going to the shop.” / “I will go to the shop.”

You’re going to have a much easier time explaining things like tenses with a diagram related to time. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a timeline on a board or a clock, as long as it’s something visual to point at it will make your life a lot easier.

More info on verbs and verb tenses .

• British Council
• Cambridge Dictionary
• Oxford Dictionary

1 thought on “33 Sure-Fire Strategies & Activities for Teaching English Grammar”

Thank you so much for such an extensive series of tests, lists etc. Really helpful for this one-on-one online teacher to Brazilian students.

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Teaching Writing to ESL/EFL Students: Tips and Activities for Any Level

• Linda D'Argenio
• August 19, 2022

Teaching writing to non-native speakers of a language presents a plethora of unique challenges and can feel overwhelming for new and seasoned teachers alike. However, teaching writing to ESL students can be dynamic and meaningful when approached with a bit of ingenuity.

If you’re new to teaching, you’ll want to get initial training and qualification with a TEFL certificate . You can explore our online TEFL courses to get started!

Why is it important to teach writing to ESL students?

In order to effectively participate as contributing members of society, individuals need to be able to communicate their thoughts in written form, whether they are using the English language as their vehicle or not.

Writing is an essential component of productive language, and ELs will need to demonstrate their ability to write in English if they hope to be competitive in a globalized world . Building competency in English-language writing supports reading comprehension, vocabulary expansion, and oral fluency , so there’s so much to be gained. And even if your students don’t plan to use the lingua franca on a regular basis, the skills gleaned from learning to write in another language transfer to all facets of life, making students more aware and more effective communicators in their native language(s) .

Teaching ESL writing aids in self-expression , which might be particularly meaningful for individuals who are hesitant to express themselves verbally. You might have the next Henry David Thoreau or Gabriel García Márquez in your class!

Why do ESL students struggle with writing?

Writing in another language is no easy feat, so it’s only natural that your ESL/ EFL students encounter difficulties when asked to do so.

First, it’s essential to recognize that writing conventions differ from one language group to another . Students from various linguistic backgrounds might declare that writing in English (particularly in an academic setting) is “boring,” something they perceive as formulaic. Often, these students come from backgrounds that value writing in a way that might seem “tangential” to native English readers.

In “Cultural thought patterns in inter-cultural education,” Robert B. Kaplan (1966) put forth a model for examining written discourse patterns, which illustrates how different thought patterns influence how speakers of other languages express themselves in written form.

You can observe that English is illustrated as being very straightforward, which aligns with the directness of spoken English. Kaplan poses here that other language groups tend to branch off in different directions in written form, pulling in supporting elements that might not be directly correlated to the main idea and that present as “off-topic” for native English speakers.

Secondly, it’s crucial to keep in mind that writing requires a vocabulary lexicon that can adequately support sharing . Often, even the most proficient English learners struggle to select the language they need to convey their point. When tackling writing instruction, make sure to consider how you’re supporting vocabulary development to support the conventions you’re teaching.

Lastly (and perhaps most importantly), writing is a form of self-expression, and self-expression through writing isn’t valued the same way in all cultures . There is a great deal of value placed on sharing one’s opinions in the U.S., for example, but this is not the reality all over the world. Some of your students might have been taught that they receive and process information, but that they are not in the position to make statements of their own or have the authority to teach others. Therefore, putting their thoughts down on paper might feel formal, high-stakes even, for your students.

What are some tips for teaching ESL writing?

Regardless of the age and proficiency level of your students, or whether you’re teaching writing in an ESL or EFL classroom, there is a myriad of strategies that you have at your disposal.

Don’t underestimate the value of conducting needs assessments

When it comes down to how to teach writing skills, even if you are teaching a group that is considered a certain proficiency level, recognize that there is always going to be a range of experience and ability present. Spend time getting to know what your students have been exposed to and in what ways before deciding on your approach. Teach to the middle to ensure no one is left behind.

Check out the following sample needs assessment to get started:

Think about how you can lower learners’ affective filters

A large portion of all successful teaching comes from relationship-building. In addition to getting a true sense of your learners’ experience and abilities, try to understand their attitudes towards writing as a process and any challenges that might be borne from those attitudes. How can you increase your students’ comfort level? How can you engage the individuals sitting in front of you?

Check out these 5 ways to build rapport with your students when teaching English.

Think about how the writing task can act as a building block for other assignments

Learning how to write in another language can be intimidating, and even more so if your students don’t enjoy writing in the first place. When wondering how to teach writing to ESL/EFL students, think about how you can integrate writing more often and more seamlessly into your lesson plans. Instead of approaching writing in isolation, teach writing skills alongside other “more engaging” activities that students tend to enjoy more. Have your students participate in role-playing and storytelling activities that require writing but don’t make writing the focus of the activity. This is your chance to be sneaky and get your students to build their writing skills without even knowing!

Present opportunities to examine authentic, written language

Providing students with examples of the target language is non-negotiable, but challenge yourself to move beyond the sample texts in your curriculum where possible. Students might feel bored by the selected works in their textbooks – they need to recognize that written language is all around them. Pull from authentic texts that cover an array of topics that you know matter to your students to keep them enticed.

Try incorporating pop culture into your ESL classroom to spice up writing activities!

Lead with function over form in instruction, and then alter your focus

Students can be discouraged to find their paper covered with red ink, highlighting their fallacies. While it is important to provide corrective feedback, consider the purpose of the assignment before marking up the composition. Was the output comprehensible? Did it touch upon everything that you asked for? Focusing on both function (the purpose of the assignment) and the accuracy in form simultaneously can feel overwhelming. Choose your objectives carefully, make them known to the learners, and provide corrective feedback accordingly .

Choose writing activities that pertain to your students’ learning goals. For example, the following clip, from a BridgeUniverse Expert Series webinar , covers how to teach Business English students to write an email in English:

Consider formative assessment and reflective strategies

Whenever possible, assess student work periodically, examining the process with various checkpoints and iterations throughout, instead of just evaluating the final product. Writing is an iterative process, and students benefit greatly when offered opportunities to reflect on their process. Create opportunities for students to participate in self- and peer-revision processes, which in turn will result in more conscientious and focused writers.

What are some ESL writing activities and lesson plans for beginners?

It can feel challenging to come up with writing activities for learners with beginner proficiency, but with proper scaffolding , writing can be inclusive and participatory.

Try group writing processes in class to get students comfortable

Writers with beginner proficiency might default to a deficit mindset, believing that writing is inaccessible for them due to a dearth of vocabulary or experience, so when you start to look at how to teach writing in the ESL/EFL classroom, your first job is to inspire confidence and get students into a growth mindset. To get them comfortable with the writing process, engage them in group writing activities.

• Choose a familiar topic (or have your students choose a topic together), and explain that you are going to “group-author” a paragraph.
• Have the students share what they know about the topic, and you, as the teacher, act as the scribe, jotting down their thoughts in a central location.
• Continue gathering their ideas until everyone has shared, remembering to emphasize that this is a process and that there is no wrong contribution.
• Examine the individual contributions and note overlap: How can a few thoughts be grouped together? In the process, ask students to elaborate on what they meant and provide examples.
• Organize these preliminary thoughts to the best of your ability, involving the students and getting them to notice organizational structures and decipher between the main idea and details.
• After celebrating what you can refer to as the “first draft,” provide specific and limited ways to improve the piece. Did they include everything they thought was relevant to the topic? Could the paragraph benefit from additional cohesive devices? Do the subjects and verbs agree? Provide ample support in the form of examples, formulas, and sentence frames alongside the piece. Invite students to examine the paragraph and seek out these common mistakes (in partners or individually).
• Create your “final draft” together, and ensure that it’s displayed prominently in the space.

By engaging them in the writing process in this way, you are instilling habits that will aid them in writing autonomously when the time comes.

Make the most of brainstorming – both individually and with others

Have you ever had students tell you that they don’t know what to write? Students, particularly those at the beginner level, need ample time to think about the content before diving into the actual writing process . Emphasize the importance of brainstorming as a way to collect their thoughts and aid them in their writing. Engage students in different kinds of brainstorming activities, going beyond “write down what comes to mind.”

Consider Think-Pair-Share as a framework for brainstorming, where students take time to think independently about the topic, share their ideas with their peers, and then share aloud to a larger group. Typically, the sharing is done orally, but you could also consider the independent writing portion of the activity as “sharing” with a larger audience, just in written form.

What are some ESL writing activities and lesson plans for intermediate and advanced students?

Facilitate a two-way journal experience with your students.

Create a way for individual students to exchange their ideas with you in an informal way with a two-way journal . Have the students maintain a writing journal that you periodically collect to write comments and ask questions. The objective of this exchange is not to formally evaluate your students’ writing, but to gather intel about your students’ progress and connect with them as individuals. Within these exchanges, not only are you building and sustaining rapport, but you are also augmenting critical thinking and meta-cognitive skills with strategies like noticing and annotation.

Cultivate peer revision routines

Learning to write in a non-native language is as much a social process as it is a cognitive process. Involving students in peer revision activities can be incredibly beneficial in that students can learn from their peers (potentially those who are stronger writers than themselves) and develop the ability to think more critically about their own writing. While getting students to effectively participate in peer revision activities requires a lot of frontloading and the establishing of routine, it is the gift that keeps on giving. If you’re interested in facilitating peer revision with your students, consider the following as general guidelines:

• Start by determining your focus for the activity. What are you asking the students to do? Make it clear to the students what you’re looking for, and provide supports that they can use in the process (e.g., a checklist or rubric).
• Demonstrate how students would use the rubric, and go through the revision process as a group.
• Provide sample pieces to examine, and engage the students in discussion around the samples.
• Make sure that students are aware of what is considered appropriate and useful feedback through modeling. Have them practice, and give them feedback on their feedback.
• Monitor the peer review sessions and jump in as needed, ensuring the quality of feedback for all involved parties.
• Reflect on the peer feedback activity in whole-group format, asking students to share what they got from reading their peers’ work, defining areas that they excelled in and areas for improvement.

Timed writing

Once your students feel comfortable with the writing process and the structure at hand, consider different contexts that they’ll be writing in. Perhaps they are planning to take the TOEFL or the Pearson Test of English (PTE) and hope to study abroad, or maybe they’re about to enter the workforce and work collaboratively with others.

In either case, your students will need to demonstrate their ability to communicate their ideas in written form while adhering to time constraints . Plan timed writing activities for your students on a variety of topics and with different parameters. In a standardized test prep context, have students write under the same conditions as the test that they’re preparing to sit for.

Take a Micro-credential course in Teaching TOEFL Test Prep or Teaching PTE Test Prep to help students ace these high-stakes exams.

In a workforce development setting, illustrate a scenario in which an email from management warrants an urgent (and polished) response. In either context, examine the output and discuss strategies that the students used. Student output from timed activities provides fertile ground for examining accuracy in form. Walk students through noticing activities, and challenge them to remember their tendencies in subsequent timed writing tasks.

Teaching writing to ESL/EFL students requires commitment and perhaps a bit of innovation on the part of the teacher, but if done well, it can prove immensely useful in a globalized world, aiding individuals in self-expression and beyond.

In addition to writing, there’s another subject that can sometimes fill teachers with dread: grammar! Here are 7 simple strategies for teaching grammar to English language learners , so you can tackle this topic with confidence .

Linda D'Argenio

Linda D'Argenio is a native of Naples, Italy. She is a world language teacher (English, Italian, and Mandarin Chinese,) translator, and writer. She has studied and worked in Italy, Germany, China, and the U.S. In 2003, Linda earned her doctoral degree in Classical Chinese Literature from Columbia University. She has taught students at both the school and college levels. Linda lives in Brooklyn, NY.

Classroom Q&A

With larry ferlazzo.

In this EdWeek blog, an experiment in knowledge-gathering, Ferlazzo will address readers’ questions on classroom management, ELL instruction, lesson planning, and other issues facing teachers. Send your questions to [email protected]. Read more from this blog.

The Six Most Effective Instructional Strategies for ELLs—According to Teachers

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(This is the first post in a two-part series.)

The new question-of-the-week is:

What is the single most effective instructional strategy you have used to teach English-language learners?

This series is part of a longer series of questions and answers inviting educators from various disciplines to share their “single most effective instructional strategy.”

Last week, educators shared their recommendations when it came to teaching writing.

There are many more to come!

Today, Valentina Gonzalez, Denita Harris, Cindy Garcia, and Deedy Camarena offer their responses.

Before we get to today’s guest, I’d like to share my own answer.

I’m a big fan of all the ideas guests in this series offer—particularly the Picture Word Inductive Model .

Two that contributors to this series don’t mention and are ones I like to use often are the Language Experience Approach (LEA) and Total Physical Response (TPR).

The LEA describes a lesson in which the entire class does a common activity (playing a game, watching a video, anything), and then the teacher leads students in a process of writing about it. Those sentences can then be used for a myriad of other follow-up activities. It’s particularly useful for mixed-level classes—everyone can participate in the activity, and then students can write sentences about it that are simple or complex depending on their language proficiency. You can learn more about the LEA here .

Total Physical Response (TPR) describes a process where the teacher (and, later, students) model a physical action when teaching a new word (standing up when teaching the word “stand”). It’s active, can be done in a very playful mood, and can be made increasingly complex. You can read more at The Best Resources For Learning About Total Physical Response (TPR) .

You can learn more about ELL teaching strategies at previous posts appearing in this column—find them at Teaching English-Language Learners .

Two particularly useful posts that have not yet made it into that summary collection (I update them every summer) are Thirteen Instructional Strategies for Supporting ELL Newcomers and Ten Strategies for Teaching English-Language Learners Online .

Now, to responses from today’s guests:

Picture Word Inductive Model

Valentina Gonzalez is a former classroom teacher with over 20 years in education serving also as a district facilitator for English-learners, a professional-development specialist for ELs, and as an educational consultant. Valentina delivers professional development and coaches teachers on sheltered instruction strategies. Her work can be found on Seidlitz Education and on MiddleWeb . You can reach her through her website or on Twitter @ValentinaESL :

Shifting the way we approach teaching English-learners can have a positive effect on their success in our schools. When we see our English-learners’ assets first, we recognize everything they come with and value not only their culture but also the content and literacy they bring to the table.

I’ve found the Picture Word Inductive Model (Calhoun, 1998) to be one of the most effective instructional techniques in my experience teaching ELs. The benefits of using PWIM with English-learners are many. This literacy technique is quite flexible and can be used cross-curricularly no matter the grade level, language level, or content. PWIM leverages students’ funds of knowledge and builds upon them. Through the PWIM, ELs are engaged in thinking and in all language domains: listening, speaking, reading, and writing with scaffolds and supports such as visuals and sentence stems or frames. This method can be used in all grade levels and cross-curricularly.

These are the steps I use to implement an adapted version of PWIM with English-learners and how each step benefits ELs:

This engaging instructional strategy helps to lower students’ anxiety levels, which increases participation. After using the PWIM with numerous student groups, these are some tips I can offer to educators who haven’t tried it before:

• Carefully select images that are compelling to your age group of students.
• Try color coding or chunking labeled words (ex.: all verbs in orange, adjectives in blue, etc.).
• Keep in mind students’ language-proficiency levels when creating sentence stems and frames. Students with advanced English proficiency will benefit from more sophisticated sentence structures.
• Don’t stress about doing it all in one day. Gage your students and make adjustments as needed.
• On a subsequent day, use the generated words as a sorting activity. Ask students to work with a partner to put the words in groups and label the groups.
• Co-create a sentence-patterning chart with the class. Some groups of students may need this level of support during Step 7.

Below is an example of a PWIM and sentence-patterning chart mash up. Combining these two techniques enhances ELs’ listening, speaking, reading, and writing in English.

This link will take you to a video with more details about the PWIM. I know many readers here have tried PWIM or variations, too. Please share pictures and stories of how your students have responded.

Sentence Frames

Denita Harris is a curriculum coordinator for the MSD of Wayne Township, Indianapolis. She has over 20 years of experience as a teacher, assistant principal, and district-level administrator. Harris is the recipient of the 2019 INTESOL (Indiana Teacher of English to Speakers of Other Languages) Best of the Best in K-12 Education, and the 2017 and 2020 African American Excellence in Education Award. Find her on Twitter @HarrisLeads:

The single most effective strategy I have used and would highly recommend when teaching English-language learners is the use of sentence frames for writing and speaking, the productive skills, accompanied with a word bank, word phrases, and/or pictures.

English-languagelearners possess a wealth of knowledge, and it is our obligation, as educators, to tap into their knowledge and continue to build upon what our students already know and can do. We must remember our students are in the process of learning a new language and are not in the process of learning a language; therefore, we can provide the words and the grammatical structures of the new language to help guide them in speaking and writing.

Here is an analogy to consider. English-language learners have the tools (vocabulary in their native language). They come to us with these tools; however, while learning English, they may not yet know the names of all the tools or how to use them properly to accomplish a task completely (speaking or writing in English). Our responsibility is to provide our students with the names of each tool (vocabulary in English) and demonstrate to them, through sentence frames, how they might utilize these tools to accomplish a complete task (express a complete thought or sentence in English). A sentence frame can be made up of only one sentence or several sentences to assist students in structuring paragraphs.

The use of sentence frames for writing and speaking not only give English-language learners a framework to communicate through both oral and written language, sentence frames also help build students’ self-efficacy. When students have the language to contribute to classroom discussions and are able to express their thoughts on paper, they begin to feel a part of the classroom community, and that makes all the difference.

Comprehensible Input

Cindy Garcia has been a bilingual educator for 14 years and is currently a district instructional specialist for PK-6 bilingual/ESL mathematics. She is active onTwitter @CindyGarciaTX and on her blog:

The single most effective strategy that I used to teach English-language learners is comprehensible input. Comprehensible input means that the teacher speaks in such a way that students are able to understand what is being said even when they do not know or understand all of the words being stated. Below are some strategies to make input comprehensible:

• Slow down rate of speech and enunciate clearly. As students are listening, they are also working to process what is being said and how that fits with what they already know. At the same time, ELLs are translanguaging and making sense of teachers’ academic language. ELLs are developing their English language, and it is very important that they hear those initial and ending sounds of words in order to add them to their vocabulary. Sometimes when we speak too quickly, we drop important sounds such as “ing”.
• Avoid figurative language and idioms. While these phrases might make sense to you and emphasize a point, to ELLs they might break down their comprehension. Students will probably end up with a literal translation that makes no sense. For example, saying it was a piece of cake will be translated to it was a portion of a dessert, not it was easy! Not only that, but ELLs might stop listening as they try to figure what that idiom means.
• Use gestures and total physical response (TPR). Language can sometimes be abstract and not precise. There can also be words that exist in English that do not exist in other languages. For example, toes do not have a Spanish equivalent. In Spanish, we have hand fingers and feet fingers. Using exaggerated gestures can help make the meaning of new vocabulary more clear to students. Using TPR, students also learn to associate a movement with a word, and that will make it more likely that they internalize that new vocabulary.

Collaborative Summarizing

Deedy Camarena is the coordinator for English-language development (ELD), dual and world languages, at the Santa Clara County Office of Education in California:

When English-language learners (ELLs) are acquiring another language, they must be able to make meaning. In order to make meaning, they must develop oracy (proficiency in oral expression and comprehension— Merriam Webster ). Utilizing purposeful dialogue to practice oracy expands student thinking. The most effective instructional strategy I’ve used to practice oracy is Collaborative Summarizing.

There are five steps to successfully implement Collaborative Summarizing. These steps allow ELLs to read, think, exchange information, and negotiate through dialogue. In preparation, the teacher must select a text appropriate for the students’ independent reading level, or lexile level, and determine the language demands. The purpose of reading the passage is to utilize the information to make meaning through oracy. However, you may find another purpose such as language functions , content, or to acquire background knowledge. Once the text has been selected and vetted by the teacher, the five-step Collaborative Summarizing can begin.

First, the teacher models how to identify the big ideas in the text. This may include the important people, things or ideas, what is occurring, and details. Then, the students individually read the text and determine 3-5 big ideas. Students utilize a graphic organizer specifically made for this strategy to record their information. Using those big ideas, students write a 15-word summary.

Second, students find one partner to dialogue with and “ create a negotiated list that reflects their combined agreement on the three to six most important ideas .” Once students have discussed the most important ideas, they turn them into one, collaborative 15-word summary. Teachers can strategically pair up students, or students can choose. Students must first determine the negotiating rules they will follow. For example, act respectively, cite evidence to prove your opinion, or use academic-language sentence frames, such as Kate Kinsella’s, for discussing and collaboration . Students use these sentence frames to support the function of negotiating and intentionally use academically language correctly. The purpose of negotiating with their partner is to “identify who or what is the most important in the section, [and] identify what the subject is doing,”( English Learner Toolkit of Strategies ).

Third, have each pair meet with another pair. One student from each pair reads their summary. Then, they dive in and renegotiate a common summary for their new group of four and add it to their graphic organizer.

Fourth, each group of four chooses another group of four to repeat the renegotiating process. Once again, the group will add this new summary to their graphic organizer.

Fifth, ask groups to edit their summaries for meaning, language, and word choice. As the focus of Collaborative Summarizing is utilizing purposeful dialogue to practice oracy, this could be an optional step.

Sixth, chose one student from the group to present the summary to the class. As ELLs have varying comfort levels of reading in front of a class, give the students time to practice in their group. Once a sufficient amount of time has passed, bring the class together to listen to the summaries.

Collaborative Summarizing helps students develop oracy and effectively utilize purposeful dialogue with a partner and a group to create a common product.

Thanks to Valentina, Denita, Cindy, and Deedy for their contributions!

Please feel free to leave a comment with your reactions to the topic or directly to anything that has been said in this post.

Consider contributing a question to be answered in a future post. You can send one to me at [email protected] . When you send it in, let me know if I can use your real name if it’s selected or if you’d prefer remaining anonymous and have a pseudonym in mind.

You can also contact me on Twitter at @Larryferlazzo .

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5 Ideas for Teaching English One-on-One

This common teaching approach in the classroom makes individualized instruction, or tutoring in American English, a unique opportunity to truly engage a student in the lesson and provide a constant stream of personalized feedback on their performance.

Students are pushed to speak English with the instructor throughout the entire session, because there is no one else present to answer questions and engage! Students also receive customized instructions that suit their ability level and preexisting knowledge. These factors make teaching one-on-one much different than standing in front of a sea of students.

Are you looking for some unique ideas to encourage participation in individualized lessons? Here are a few tried and true ideas to implement in your next session!

1. Two-Player Word Games

While you shouldn’t spend an hour lecturing your student, you also shouldn’t expect your student to dominate the session either. Two-player word games are fun and encourage students to actively recall vocabulary words with correct spelling. The pressure to participate is distributed between the both of you, so the student doesn’t feel under a “spotlight” or singled out.

Some common word games to try include:

• Hangman – The classic! Take turns thinking of words, and have the other player guess the letters.
• Memory – Write vocabulary words on cards, turn them upside down, and take turns matching the cards by remembering where each is placed. The player with the most pairs at the end wins.
• Shiritori – This game is originally Japanese, but works just as well in English. You can play either verbally or written down. One person says a word, and the other must say a word starting with the last letter of the previous word. You can play for as long as you want.

2. Describe Pictures

A sign of fluency in any language is being able to fully describe a situation or scene. Print out pictures, use images in a textbook, or rip out ads from a magazine and have your student explain what’s going on. You can ask follow-up questions to create a dialogue.

3. Write Short Journals

Establishing a routine for your students to follow in individualized instruction helps you keep organized and your student to know what to expect. Try opening each lesson with a conversation about each other’s day, then have your student write a paragraph or two depending on English ability about their day or a specific topic. This is a great exercise for writing practice and your student can receive immediate feedback, while also having a record to show progress over time.

Possible topics include hobbies, current events, cultural norms, reflections on past English lesson, or anything else of interest to the student. If he or she likes a topic, it will be much easier to write about!

4. Reading Practice for Pronunciation Practice

Anyone is able to grab a book and read alone, but the value of reading out loud with an instructor exists in pronunciation  and intonation practice. When learning another language, it’s difficult to speak confidently or speak up at all, if you suspect you sound silly. Reading a text out loud at the students’ comprehension level allows them to listen to themselves and gives you the opportunity to provide live feedback.

Correcting pronunciation after every word can be discouraging, so instead try pausing after every few sentences to go over some mispronunciations you noticed.

5. Board Games

You don’t need to have Monopoly or Scrabble to teach English through a board game. Dedicated EFL board games like WORD UP are handy if you have one around, but there are alternatively several free options to print out.

EFL resource sites across the internet provide printable board games to practice specific vocabulary groups or grammar, such as passive voice or tenses. While it may seem that the student would be at a disadvantage against the instructor, games that incorporate chance with dice rolls even out the playing field. It also gives students a chance to hear your answers as an example.

One-on-one sessions let you design creative lesson plans and reinforce concepts as many times as a student needs. Apart from reviewing homework or answering questions, you can also incorporate these engaging ideas in your next lesson to truly encourage participation and reinforce learning!

You may also like:

• Language and Sex
• Please Fail The IELTS! And 9 More IELTS Tips
• Listen&Learn: One Hundred Years of Solitude

11 comments

Teaching this was very fun and I’m so grateful this is here so other teachers can use it to help make some lessons fun.

Your ideas do help me. How do I incorporate grammar rules while teaching.?

Thanks, such useful information. I am teaching my first actual class soon and it will be a one-on-one session. I really want to make the class fun for the student and I to share. Your ideas are very useful to me 🙂

Very useful ideas. Thank you so much!

I hope I will use this school year.

comment is that how can I learn m o experience about education and English

Any more ideas for an English club at a Japanese high school with 6-7 members (mostly boys)?

Very interesting. I am going to practice it.

Raquel Thoesen can I talk to you one on one?

I do describe a picture and landscapes work very well

Well done. I do a lot of one on one teaching and do pretty much the same thing. I have not tried items like “describe a picture” or “board games”. Most of my classes are online so board games would be hard to do. But love the picture idea.

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22 Effective ESL Reading Activities Your Students Will Love

Do your ESL students sometimes struggle to understand what they’ve read?

Reading comprehension is notoriously difficult for students to learn and for teachers to teach. You have to make it interesting and effective. Otherwise, your students will lose interest and get discouraged from reading in English altogether.

In this post, I’ve compiled 22 awesome and effective ESL reading comprehension activities that your students will surely enjoy. Some are straightforward, while others require a bit of preparation prior to the main activity.

1. Pick the Right Word: Which Is It?

2. picture quiz: brown bear, what do you see, 3. connect the dots: this word goes with that picture, 4. sequence: putting humpty dumpty back together, 5. story retelling: showtime, 6. cause and effect: who solves the mystery, 7. following directions: it’s a treasure hunt, 8. multiple-choice: get it right, 9. short answers: a story within a story, 10. vocabulary focus: show and tell, 11. decoding idioms: guess what the phrase means, 12. question time: prep for the real work, 13. read and repeat: get pronunciation down pat, 14. paragraph summary: tell it another way, 15. quiz writing and giving: stump your classmates, 16. true or false: give me a thumbs-up (or down), 17. puzzle making: cut and paste, 18. taboo: don’t say that, 19. class discussions: talk it out, 20. class debates: fight it out, 21. class presentations: in-class ted talks, 22. class presentations redux: tell me about [a favorite topic], why do esl reading comprehension activities.

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)

Most ESL reading activities designed to test comprehension look like this:

Sarah went to the (beach/park). There, she met a friend who went to (science class/summer camp) two years ago.

You can usually find exercises like this for free on K12Reader.com and Mr. Nussbaum.com , so you don’t need to spend time making them on your own.

They’re rather cut-and-dry as far as exercises go, but if you’re new to giving out ESL reading comprehension activities or are looking for a safe option, you can always fall back on this one.

If you’re looking for a more creative version of “Pick the Right Word,” you can also craft an ESL reading comprehension activity that doesn’t necessarily involve words and sentences (as strange as that might sound).

Instead of giving students two options to choose from or having them fill in the blanks, you can give them a bunch of pictures and have them do some matching.

Using the example above ( Sarah went to the (beach/park) . ..), you can label several pictures as A, B, C and D. Picture A can be a beach, Picture B can be a park and so on. Students can then sort through the pictures, and write the correct letter corresponding to the correct image in the blank space.

Alternatively, you could also use “Connect the Dots” for the same exercise above. This works especially well with younger ESL learners, who’ll be more appreciative of colorful pictures accompanying their learning activities.

Feel free to throw in an irrelevant picture or two to make the activity a tad more tricky and interesting. It’ll also more accurately gauge whether your students actually understand the answers they’re giving out or are just guessing them.

Nursery rhymes like “Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall” are engaging for ESL learners of any age.

For this activity, use pictures to retell the story and help your students remember the main plot points, characters and events of the text.

Preparation

• Create copies of two stories. Make sure each is single-spaced and printed on a separate piece of paper. Label each story “Story 1” and “Story 2.”
• Make a worksheet of a bunch of pictures (related to the stories you’ve created) labeled with either numbers or letters. Make sure there are spaces or lines immediately below the pictures where your students can write their answers. Depending on your class’s level, you can turn the labeling exercise into the perfect drill for practicing spelling and sentence construction.
• Give your students the picture worksheet, and talk about what’s happening in each picture.
• Ask your students to turn over the picture worksheet, and hand out the two stories to read.
• After the students have finished reading, have them flip the papers with the stories over to the blank back side. Without looking at the story, students should cut out the pictures, and glue them to the back of the right story in chronological order.

If you need some inspiration for fantastic picture reading comprehension worksheets, try ESlFlow.com . There are also some interesting picture worksheets on Cal.org that  focus specifically on health literacy for ESL adults .

You’ll probably find that it’s easier and more fun to find a story online, and download images from Google to make your own picture stories.

Story retelling involves reading a text or story and then acting it out to other students. If you have students who love role play, they’ll enjoy this one and similar activities .

• Choose from any of these short stories for ESL students , print them out and make enough copies for the whole class.
• Divide students into small groups. Make sure the size of each group matches the number of characters in the stories you’re handing out.
• Give each group a different story that they’ll need to act out in front of the class.
• Prepare (or have your students prepare) a list of short answers/multiple choice/true or false questions to engage the audience and evaluate how well the actors captured the events of the story.
• Once everything is set, it’s showtime!

Cause and effect questions help students think outside the box and better understand the ripple effect of events.

Text materials that have a mysterious plot or historical background are excellent choices, because they require students to understand the context of the mystery, the clues and the characters to fully appreciate the thrills of crime solving.

For example, you can read this interesting crime scene together with your students in class. Your objective with this activity is to answer the final question: Why isn’t Inspector Coderre satisfied with Ms. Webb’s version of the event? 

• Divide students into groups.
• Create a cause and effect map to capture the first part of Ms. Webb’s testimony, which ends right before the sentence, “The inspector was very sympathetic and told her that it was very natural to not want to damage somebody’s property.” For example, you can write something like “ (effect) Ms. Webb could see the study room → it was well-lit. (cause) ” or “ (cause) Ms. Webb broke a small window → to get into the house. (effect) ” It doesn’t matter how you order the cause and effect—the point is to help students notice details in the story and make an effective analysis.
• Ask the students to identify the part of the testimony that made the detective lose his sympathy. Analyze that testimonial section with another cause and effect chart. Do they notice any inconsistencies?
• Discuss the students’ findings in class or in small groups.

You don’t have to limit ESL reading comprehension activities to short stories. You can also facilitate hands-on activities to encourage your students to read, such as this treasure hunt game.

• Create a map. It can be hand-drawn or printed. Give unique names to the basic geographic features of the classroom/schoolyard, so students can navigate the “rainforest” or “dark caves” without getting lost.
• Put together a clue sheet to help locate the treasure. It should be filled with hints, codes and even secret messages for students to decode. For example, if you hid a diamond playing card on the third shelf of a bookcase in the corner, you can give the following clue: It stands in a corner with lots of pages for you to read. The diamond is on the third floor and right under a fairy tale. 
• Hide different treasures (cards, small balls and beanies) in the classroom or schoolyard.
• Divide your students into groups.
• Give them the map and clue sheet to locate the treasure.
• The first group that finds their treasure wins the game. But they’re always welcome to join other teams to help them find their treasures, too!

Multiple-choice is a classic, wonderful way to ease your students into new material. It’s also excellent for building much-needed confidence before moving on to more challenging ways of checking reading comprehension.

You’ll want to use “scaling” in your multiple choice questions—i.e., making each question slightly more difficult than the one before it. This way, your students will be challenged just enough to keep going.

To get started:

• Ask students to read a short story, article or blog post. 
• Give them a few concise multiple-choice questions afterward.
• Go over the questions and answers as a class.

In this activity, your aim is to get students to dig deeper beneath the surface of what they’re reading. You want them to go beyond answering questions about the events and characters in the story, and talk about related topics as well.

For example, if a short story features lovers who are of the same gender, the students might want to formulate short answers about the concept of homosexuality. (Of course, if this is a taboo topic in the area where you’re teaching, or your students aren’t at the level where they can talk about such topics yet, you may want to pick an easier subject that’s less emotionally charged or controversial.) 

There are a lot of ways to go about this activity. You can:

• Give students time to read the story in class.
• Assign the story as homework.
• Pair students up, and have them develop short answers together.
• Have pairs read their short answers to other pairs.

This exercise is a great way to put some of your students’ newly learned words to good use. Plus, you don’t have to search far for new words—the ones that appear in the assigned reading will do.

All you have to do is:

• Pair students up.
• Have them underline key words in the target text.
• Have them look up any words they don’t know.
• Have students present their vocabulary terms to their classmates.

Decoding phrases, especially idioms, can be tricky for most students. That’s why it’s a good idea to devote an entire activity to this concept alone.

• Scan the assigned or target text for idioms that may be difficult to decode based on context alone.
• Compile these words and phrases, and print them on a worksheet.
• Ask your students to read the collection of phrases, and have them write down or discuss what they think the phrases mean. Be careful not to use too many phrases, or you’ll bore the life out of your students and discourage them from reading the assigned or target text further. 
• Once everyone is done, explain the phrases to the students. If you speak your students’ mother tongue, you can also judiciously use the bilingual method of teaching English . Ask them if they have similar idioms in their language.
• Challenge your students to write sentences using the new idioms, either in class or for homework. This allows you to check for comprehension and tweak accordingly.

Often, ESL reading activities involve answering questions after the text has been read. For this activity, it’ll be the other way around. 

Pre-reading questions are great for reading comprehension because:

• They orient the reader to the genre, topic and purpose of the text.
• They allow the reader to activate their knowledge of related vocabulary, and glean the key words and phrases they should seek to understand in the reading.
• They provide a focus for the reading of the text, so students know what information is important and what isn’t.
• They save a ton of time during reading comprehension tests.

Encourage your students to underline key words and phrases, and make notes and translations where necessary. This will help them avoid the common error of not answering the question as it’s written on the paper. A little time spent going over their notes here can improve the overall accuracy and relevance of their answers.

Reading comprehension work gives you an excellent opportunity to get in some pronunciation activities for your ESL students . These will enhance their speaking and listening skills all at once.

For example, when working on a text in class, you can:

• Read a sentence in the target text.
• Have the students repeat the sentence after you, paying close attention to their pronunciation.
• If you notice anything off about their pronunciation, give them gentle feedback .
• Once you’ve worked through the entire piece, have the students read it back to you paragraph by paragraph. Again, take the opportunity to correct where necessary.

Similar to the short answer activity discussed earlier, paragraph summary activities can challenge your students and help them develop their unique English voices.

This activity could be done post-reading, but it’s also an excellent way to ensure comprehension as you work through the text with your students.

• Put students in groups.
• Give them the text as you usually would.
• Encourage your students to take notes, annotate and underline as they go. Ask them to talk about any personal connections that they have to the topic(s), or to put themselves in the shoes of someone featured in the text. Students will benefit from relating what they’ve learned to their own lives.
• At the end of a paragraph (or suitable portion of the text), have the students summarize what they’ve read in their own words. They should be instructed to write it out in no more than four or five sentences. Encourage them to use different words and sentence constructions.
• Have them present their summaries to the class. The presentations can last from 30 seconds to a minute each.
• Answer any questions that arise.

A fun post-reading activity is to have a quiz based on the reading comprehension text.

Students generally get lots of opportunities to answer questions in class, but not as many to ask them. Try checking their comprehension by having them ask their classmates questions about the passage they’ve read.

I’ll go into the specific quiz formats later, but the activity will generally go like this:

• Have them create a quiz for the other groups.
• Have the groups grade the quizzes.
• Discuss the quiz questions and answers as a class.

The quizzes don’t have to be in the usual pen-and-paper format. They can also come in the form of an:

• Oral quiz.  This gives the students an opportunity to use their new vocabulary in speech.
• Game show quiz. Set up a game resembling “Jeopardy!,” or choose from any other famous TV game show to model your quiz on.

True or false is yet another standard classroom activity that can be made fun for your ESL classroom.

• Take your featured text, and create a good number of “yes or no” questions about it. Each question should be relatively simple, covering the main topic, events, themes, characters and anything else described in the text.
• Read the questions out loud while students follow along on a worksheet. Have the students respond to the statements by giving a thumbs-up for a true statement or a thumbs-down for a false statement. This allows you to easily spot the students who are struggling to understand the piece and support them accordingly.

For longer and more complex pieces, you can review the true or false statements at the end of each paragraph or page, instead of the end like you would with simpler pieces.

This could be done as a pre- or post-reading activity and works best in groups.

• Photocopy the passage, and cut it into pieces. Chunks of one or two paragraphs are best.
• Get your students to put the reading together. 

You could also do a cloze reading exercise like so:

• From the reading, choose topic sentences that you want your students to work on.
• Using your word processor software (like Microsoft Word or Google Docs ), type or copy-and-paste the topic sentences into a blank page.
• From the sentences, cut the words you want your students to work on, and paste them at the bottom of the page. Replace the cut words in the sentences with blanks.
• Let your students fill out the blanks using the words pasted at the bottom of the page.

Luckily, here are some ready-to-use cloze activities on different topics you can swipe from. 

Taboo is arguably the best game for practicing vocabulary and livening up your lesson. If you haven’t heard of it before, it essentially involves a student explaining what the key word they’re thinking of means without using the key word itself or synonyms of any kind.

Here’s another variation:

• Put students in groups of four to five members.
• One student goes first. They draw their key word on the board. If the word is “financial,” the student won’t be able to say “bank,” “money” or “financial.” They can only make gestures or add details to their drawing.
• The student who guesses which word fits the drawing gets a point.

Class discussions can take place before or after your ESL reading activities.

If you’re doing it beforehand, your goal should be to engage the students and activate their current vocabulary, getting them to talk in broad terms about the topic they’ll be reading.

For example, if the text will be about tourism, kickstart a discussion with questions like:

• What are the benefits of a strong tourism industry?
• What are the best tourist destinations in their home country, and why?
• What are major problems for tourism for their home country?

You can put these questions on a worksheet with ample space for brainstorming and forming opinions independently.

Alternatively, you could divide students into pairs or small groups to discuss the topic before reading the text. Since you’re already familiar with the text they’ll be looking at, you can skillfully and subtly steer the conversation into issues and areas related to the gist of the text to come.

If you’re doing post-reading discussions, you can use questions from ESL textbooks , come up with your own questions or—if your students are at a high enough level—have them come up with the questions themselves.

• Have them write two to three discussion questions.
• Use the questions as a basis for class discussion.

For some fantastic ESL-oriented discussion questions on a variety of topics, click right here .

If the passage is about something topical, you could use it to organize a debate.

There are many ways to structure a class debate, but the one I usually use is pretty simple:

• One-minute argument
• One-minute rebuttal
• The facilitator (usually you or a capable student) gives feedback.

Suitable for intermediate to advanced students, a debate offers a platform to share opinions about a given topic. Often, with a little imagination, a reading comprehension topic can segue into a debate topic relevant to the students’ own lives.

You know how watching a TED Talk often leaves you with a feeling that you’ve learned something new or even life-changing afterward? Recreate that format in class to further boost reading comprehension.

For example, if the class just read an article about the qualities of a good brand, the students could deliver two-minute presentations about their favorite brand and what makes it special.

To make the most of these in-class TED Talks:

• Show them a relevant TED Talk in class, so they can get the hang of the format.
• Give students time to create their own TED Talks. You could also assign it as a homework assignment instead.
• Decide whether the TED Talk should be done individually or in groups. Both work well enough, in my experience.

Then again, your students might feel intimidated at the thought of having to recreate presentations that are given by big-name personalities and watched by millions of people around the world.

In that case, it’s okay to take a more down-to-earth approach to presentations. Give your students a bit more leeway with the format. Better yet, let them have the freedom to talk about any topic they choose.

This way, they’ll make more of an effort to communicate their passion for something in English. They’ll also have a solid incentive to brush up on the necessary vocabulary and express themselves in colorful ways. Watch them come alive as they talk about the things that matter the most to them.

• Reading doesn’t only teach ESL students grammar, word usage and sentence structure. It also enables them to acquire new information about the culture surrounding their target language.
• Reading helps students see how English is communicated through writing. As you know, good writing and being a good reader go hand in hand.
• Reading comprehension activities help students test their understanding of words in a written context. At the same time, they can get the most out of their reading assignments.

While you’ve undoubtedly used conventional tests to quiz your students, there are ways to make reading comprehension activities effective without relying on the same old methods.

For example, you can:

• Have your students listen to ESL podcasts . Some of them have transcripts, so students could read those first, then listen to the episode afterward and combine listening and reading comprehension.
• Use videos with subtitles in your classroom for a fun twist on reading comprehension. The key is to use videos that have subtitles, like YouTube and FluentU , the latter of which has authentic videos with accurate transcripts. Have students read the transcript first, then play the video in class.

Sure, there’s a time for your students to read for pleasure outside the classroom. However, in-class reading comprehension activities maximize the benefits of reading by making it more relevant and personal to them.

Also, as their teacher, you’ll have opportunities to clarify misunderstandings and ambiguities, as well as enhance students’ vocabulary, word usage and interpretation skills.

With a few dashes of entertainment and creativity here and there, your ESL students will come to love reading in English beyond its educational benefits. 

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Teaching, learning and assessment.

This category looks at your ability to plan and manage language learning, make effective use of learning resources, understand teaching language systems and skills, and assess learning.

Four stages of development

Every skill is described in relation to the four stages of development; Foundation, Developing, Proficient, and Expert. Below, we list some of the main competencies for each stage, plus some suggestions on how to develop further.

• Have a basic understanding of some key principles of teaching and learning (lesson planning, materials selection, classroom management, the learning environment, teaching systems and skills).
• Have started to demonstrate the ability to use this understanding to plan basic systems and skills lessons according to a simple given template, with basic awareness of learners' needs and difficulties and sometimes demonstrating a balance between teacher-centred and learner-centred activities.
• Have started to see some clear links between their planning and teaching choices and subsequent student learning.
• Have started to demonstrate the ability to teach simple systems and skills lessons using a basic repertoire of teaching techniques and with reasonable classroom management.

Ways to develop further

• Are aware of many key principles of teaching and learning (lesson planning, materials selection, classroom management, the learning environment, teaching systems and skills).
• Demonstrate the ability to use this understanding to plan reasonably detailed systems and skills lessons according to a given template, with some awareness of learners' needs and difficulties, often demonstrating a balance between teacher-centred and learner-centred activities, and deliver these with some adaptation.
• Are able to respond to some unforeseen classroom events.
• Demonstrate the ability to teach systems and skills lessons using a wider repertoire of teaching techniques and with reasonably effective classroom management, as well as the ability to choose appropriate materials, including web-based materials, with some improvisation.
• Have a good understanding of many key principles of teaching and learning (lesson planning, materials selection, classroom management, the learning environment, teaching systems and skills).
• Demonstrate the ability to use this understanding to plan detailed systems, skills and integrated lessons according to their own template, with good awareness of learners' needs and difficulties, regularly demonstrating a balance between teacher-centred and learner-centred activities, and deliver these with conscious adaptation.
• Are able to respond appropriately to most unforeseen classroom events, and can see clear links between their planning and teaching choices and subsequent student learning.
• Demonstrate the ability to teach systems, skills and integrated lessons effectively using a wide range of teaching techniques and with effective classroom management.
• Have a sophisticated understanding of key principles of teaching and learning (lesson planning, materials selection, classroom management, the learning environment, teaching systems and skills).
• Demonstrate the ability to use this understanding to plan detailed and sophisticated systems, skills and integrated lessons (often unconsciously), with a clear rationale and detailed understanding of learners' needs and difficulties, consistently demonstrating a balance between teacher-centred and learner-centred activities, and deliver these with principled adaptation.
• Are able to respond appropriately, confidently and automatically to almost all unforeseen classroom events and have developed a sophisticated understanding of the link between their planning and teaching choices and subsequent student learning.
• Demonstrate the ability to teach consistently effective systems, skills and integrated lessons using a sophisticated range of teaching techniques and with consistently effective classroom management.

Download the Cambridge English Teaching Framework – Competency statements

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We provide industry-leading qualifications that prove what teachers of English can do. These qualifications are mapped to the Cambridge English Teaching Framework, and support teachers every step of the way by helping them build the skills and confidence they need to teach English effectively.

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42 English Activities For High School: Challenges, Writing Practice, Games, Discussions, And Resources

March 27, 2024 //  by  Jill Webb

Are you an English teacher looking for learning games and activities to help enliven your English language arts teaching? We know that sometimes teenage students can easily lose interest. So, don’t be a boring teacher—bring a few unique ideas into your lessons to keep them invested! Below is a list of fun and creative activities for high school students. It includes a variety of English language learning experiences—from poetry to writing and more! If you’re ready to engage your students while helping them increase their language skills, read on!

1. Paint Chip Poetry

This is a fun activity that’s easy to understand and set up. This game will challenge your students to use paint names to create beautiful pieces of poetry. A mix of paint chips, poetry prompts, and “variation cards” to keep things interesting makes for a unique way for your kids to experiment with words and poetry. It’s also great to add to your classroom party game stash!

Learn More: Amazon

2. Figurative Language Challenge

You already know that nothing beats repetition when it comes to helping your high schoolers grasp new concepts—but coming up with new ways to practice concepts can be time-consuming! This bundle includes simple challenges to get your students practicing different types of figurative language; it includes metaphors, similes, alliteration, and more. Editable worksheets and slides review the concepts for your learners—then, they task them with developing their own examples. These activities are great for inclusion classes because they work in stations.

Learn More: Teachers Pay Teachers

3. Six-Word Memoirs

This writing activity sounds simple but is deceptively challenging: writing six-word memoirs. Explain to your students that briefer writing demands greater attention to each word. Then, reinforce this lesson by having them each write their own memoir—in only six words! This activity is an innovative writing challenge, a hands-on introduction to memoirs, and a surefire way to get to know your teens and help them connect with each other. Plus, you can display their final creations along with corresponding images of their choosing. 

Learn More: Six-Word Memoirs

4. The Break-Up Letter

Need a clever and relatable creative writing exercise ? Try this letter-writing activity with a hilarious twist. Rather than write a typical letter, your students will be asked to write a break-up letter! These printable prompts are a perfect way to get your teens thinking about how well they explain themselves in their writing.

Learn More: Presto Plans

5. Pop Sonnets

Here’s a fun way to fill some extra time with your teens—while also reinforcing their understanding of Shakespearean language. This clever book is full of familiar pop songs—rewritten the way Shakespeare might have penned them! “Translating” lyrics they already know will help your high schoolers practice and better grasp the language in Shakespeare’s plays.

6. Listening Skills

We all know it’s important to teach young kids how to listen; it can be easy to forget that your high schoolers still need guidance and practice to be good listeners! Be sure to emphasize this essential school and life skill with your teens—this blog post gives some concrete, tangible ways to teach and encourage active listening skills. Challenge your students to honestly complete a self-assessment of their own listening skills. Then, use these exercises to work together to improve their scores!

Learn More: The Secondary English Coffee Shop

7. Reading Bingo

A lot of the activities on this list are about class and group work—but there’s no getting around the value of good old-fashioned independent reading. Gamify your teens’ reading by distributing Bingo cards. Then, offer a prize for the first student to read all the books on the card or in a certain pattern! All you need to do is edit the cards to match your readers’ level and let the competition begin!

Learn More: Spark Creativity

8. Poetry Slam

Poetry can get a bad rap in high school—help your students get more engaged by making sure they know it’s not all love poems and sonnets! A poetry slam is an ideal way to expose your teens to a new medium. Inviting your high schoolers to perform their works for the class helps build their confidence and gives them a voice. You’ll be surprised when you see the smooth-talking skills of your kids!

Learn More: Teacher of Vision

9. Truth or Dare Grammar

If you need an easy lesson plan to review grammar, look no further. This fun game for your teenage learners will help get them invested in grammatical skills! You—and your kids—already know how to play truth or dare. This editable version is grammar-themed and school-appropriate. It’s a perfect activity to pull out at the end of the day when you still want to reinforce your kids’ learning.

10. Book Spine Poems

Have you heard of book spine poetry? It’s exactly what it sounds like; your students can arrange the text they find on book spines to craft surprisingly insightful poems! All you really need is a collection of books, but these simple worksheets will help your kids organize their work without having to carry around a stack of books. If you don’t have enough books on hand for everyone, never fear—turn this into an online game and allow them to “hunt” for titles online!

11. Soccer Ball Questions

You don’t need to be in the hot seat with questioning skills when teaching a lesson! Make one of these Socratic soccer balls—just add question prompts to a regular soccer ball. When it’s time to get your teens to practice their Socratic questioning skills, all you need to do is have them roll the ball and pose a question based on the first prompt they see.

Learn More: Building Bo o k Love

12. Black-Out Poetry

Here’s another great activity for your lower-intermediate learners—this black-out activity will challenge your students to use a page of a book to create a poem by blacking out specific words. Surprisingly, the rigid constraints are a creative way to help your teens who may struggle to find inspiration or with writer’s block. If you have early finishers, ask them to find fun images to pair with their fresh poem.

Learn More: Arapahoe Libraries

13. Review Game

A quiz challenge is a great way to review all the material for key lessons. In this fun game your learners will play a “Let’s Make a Deal” game—based on the popular game show. You’ll act as the game show host and make deals with the teams. This downloadable resource includes editable elements so you can customize the game and prizes for your own classroom.

Learn More: The Hungry Teacher Blog

14. Balderdash

Balderdash is a class board game for a reason. This small-group game will get your high schoolers laughing as they try to trick each other with made-up definitions for uncommon words. It’s a fun, unexpected way to teach new vocabulary while getting your students thinking critically and creatively! You can use a regular version of the game or just create your own using online resources.

Learn More: Boardgame Geek

16. NYT Crossword

A classic—and much beloved—game in the US is the New York Times daily crossword! Did you know there’s also a student version? Printing off one of the puzzles is a great, no-prep language exercise for your more advanced English classes.

Learn More: The New York Times

17. Inklewriter

Inklewriter is an innovative tool that can be used to get your students working individually on their creative writing. The free app makes use of interactive writing—sort of like a classic Choose-Your-Own-Adventure story made high-tech. The prompts and questions will guide your teens while still challenging them to flex their creative muscles as they create their own unique stories. 

Learn More: Inkle Writer

18. Book Raffle

A book raffle tradition will help to get your lower-level class invested in reading—especially if your students don’t have many of their own books. All you’ll be doing is inviting your kids to compete for the chance to read specific books; creating excitement around a fundamental language activity in the process—independent reading! To get started, simply select a few books—they can be new or ones already in your class—and introduce them all to your learners. Then, your readers can enter their names in draws to win reading rights to their favorites. Once you have a few book raffles under your belt, feel free to modify the process to make it work for you and your teens!

Learn More: Brown Bag Teacher

19. Writing Prompts

Writing prompts are a classic classroom tool to jumpstart creative writing. Provide your students with this list of enticing prompts that are sure to help them produce literary genius. To get them started, you can let them pick their own from the list or assign them at random. Either way, you’ll have a low-prep way to get great results from your high school writers. 

Learn More: Small World

20. Vocab-Zee

This language-themed twist on the classic game of Yahtzee is a great rainy-day activity or sub plan for your class. Put your students in groups and provide them with copies of the game instructions. Then, they’ll take turns rolling the dice and performing vocabulary-based actions based on their roll. 

Learn More: Go Sadlier

21. Body Biographies

Help your pupils become masters of character analysis by assigning these eye-catching body biographies. Prompt your young writers to examine the different characteristics of each character—both tangible and intangible—and use them to create a character analysis. The visual aspect of the posters makes this activity more engaging than a written description and encourages your kids to search for different elements of character roles in the text. Not only will your students love doing this, but you’ll also be able to display their body biographies for reference. 

Learn More: Study All Knight

22. Podcast Pairings

Consider pairing relevant literary podcasts with your classroom texts/discussions. Introducing a different medium into your teaching toolbox is an excellent way to change up your methods and better engage auditory learners. These podcasts are sure to give your students different perspectives on the topics and ideas that are introduced and discussed in your classroom texts. 

Learn More: Building Book Love

23. Keyhole Book Scene

This is a clever visual way to emphasize the importance of different characters’ points of view. Having your students create a keyhole book scene gives you the opportunity to check your students’ understanding and comprehension of a story. Ask your learners to illustrate a scene from one of the texts they are reading—from the perspective of someone looking into the room through a keyhole. You can base the assignment on a specific character’s point of view or let your kids choose the perspective themselves. They should be encouraged to include different text elements and imagery to show what exactly the specific book scene “looked like” in their minds. 

Learn More: The Room Mom

24. Crime Stories

Have you ever considered engaging your high school literacy students with creepy crime stories? Your teens can pick a real-life criminal and use their investigative skills to determine motives and other crime components. Then, have them choose a medium—blog, podcast, research paper, etc.—to present their perspective. The real-world aspect makes these narratives particularly compelling—and your learners will be so engaged in the crimes that they won’t realize how much hard work and learning they’re actually doing!   

Learn More: Besp o ke ELA

25. Song Lyrics to Teach Paraphrasing

What teenager doesn’t love music? Here’s a great way to use this to your advantage! Print off lyrics to popular songs that your students will love. Then, challenge your kids to go through the lyrics and attempt to paraphrase what the song is saying, using their own words. This will help them get a better understanding of what their favorite songs are about as well as give them practice in their rewording skills.

Learn More: Mondays Made Easy

27. Selfie Fingerprint Poem

Poetry can be a tricky topic to introduce—and a particularly hard one to get your high schoolers excited about. With this fun fingerprint poem, your students can use colors and stanzas to create a poem that represents themselves and is as unique as their fingerprints. This is a great way to get your students excited about introducing themselves and things that they consider to be important. 

29. Funny Short Story Study

Looking for something to break up the heavier literary units you have planned this year? This diverse bundle of hilarious short stories is perfect for teaching your students short and sweet literary concepts such as sarcasm, irony, foreshadowing, etc. 

Learn More: Hopefully Home

30. Thought Bubble

Do your students need help delving into the thoughts of the characters you’re reading about? This simple thought bubble exercise will get your high schoolers engaged in deeper-level thinking. All they have to do is imagine what a character in a book, a short story, or even an image is thinking. Then, they can write it in a thought bubble on a sticky note. Getting into the habit of considering characters’ inner thoughts will encourage your readers to pay more attention to the text and make stronger connections with the stories.

Learn More: The Thinker Builder

31. Escape Rooms

Make learning fun for your high school English students by incorporating escape room activities in your classroom! You can download an escape room kit online that incorporates concepts from books your students are reading in class—or design your own! An escape room is an interactive way to encourage teamwork among your kids and enhance their understanding and application of the texts you’ve covered. 

Learn More: Teach Nouvelle

33. The What If Game

The what if game is sure to get your students’ creative juices flowing! This group activity is fun and easy to set up. You’ll start by dividing your learners into groups of four to five, giving every group three cups—one for characters, one for settings, and one for actions. The groups will begin by brainstorming examples for each category and placing them in the cups. Then the real fun begins! Have your kids take turns drawing papers, one from each cup, and combining them in “What if?” questions. The last step is to use their what if question as a story prompt, being sure to fully explore the character, setting, and action they’ve drawn. Your high schoolers will enjoy the mix of group brainstorming and individual writing—and produce their own literary masterpieces in no time!

Learn More: Bespoke Classroom

34. Hexagonal Thinking 

Hexagonal thinking is another dynamic group brainstorming activity—and a great way to help your students think critically about texts and make broader connections. After reading through a story with your class, separate your students into groups. Then, give each group a series of blank paper hexagons and have them fill in various themes, characters, quotes, and even simple drawings. Once they’re done, task your kids with working together to arrange the hexagons in a web—in a layout based on logical connections between the cards.

Learn More: Now Spark Creativity

35. Mock Trials 

Help your students examine a text through mock trials. After reading through a story, pick a student to be the prosecutor (or a group of students to be a team of prosecutors) and a student to be the defendant (or team of defendants). Give your kids time and tips for drafting their arguments, and then select a jury from their classmates. When everyone is ready, it’s time for the trial! You can be the judge, critiquing your students’ logic and powers of persuasion. Your teens will have so much fun playing their roles that they won’t even notice the preparation and research involved!

36. Graphic Essay

Looking to shake up your students’ essays? Graphic essays are a clever way to introduce visual elements into a traditional writing assignment. Your students will use pictures and symbols to convey certain portions of the story. It’s a helpful way to engage visual learners and encourage all your kids to think and express themselves in new ways. They’ll appreciate the chance to inject their work with their own creativity—and the break from normal essay writing! 

Learn More: Living in the Layers

37. Elements of Fiction Stations

Get your class up and moving around the room with these informative stations that teach the basic elements of fiction. At each station, your learners will delve deeper into elements of fiction such as setting, conflict, characters, point of view, and plot structure. You can have your kids visit these stations during certain time periods or even different class periods. 

Learn More: Hey Natayle

38. Figurative Language Tasting

Who doesn’t love to eat tasty snacks while learning? Get your students actively involved in your delicious and savory lesson using a few snacks. Explain to your kids that the objective of this lesson is to practice using different figurative language elements to describe both the taste and feelings of snacks. Then, let the fun begin! Distribute the snacks to your young gourmets—along with prompts that challenge them to describe the tastes using various types of figurative language. It’s sure to help your high schoolers develop a taste for descriptive writing!

Learn More: It’s Lit Teaching

39. Explode the Moment 

Are your kids having trouble expanding their thoughts and ideas during writing time? With this activity, your students will be challenged to expand or “explode” the moment they are writing about. For example, if your learner writes “The park was fun,” they’ll be prompted to explain the entire moment at the park, using sensory imagery. This is a relatable method to encourage your high schoolers to consider the “who, what, where, when” portions of their writing.

Learn More: Raise the Bar Reading

40. Figurative Language Sort

Even though this activity was created with younger children in mind, that doesn’t mean your high school students won’t be engaged and excited to participate. You’ll need to prepare for this activity by collecting some interesting pictures and writing sentences about them using different types of figurative language that you’ve studied in class. To begin, give your high schoolers (individually or in a small group) one of the pictures, along with the related sentences. Then, task them with categorizing the sentences based on the type of figurative language. Lastly, encourage those who finish quickly to come up with their own examples for each category!

Learn More: Teaching with a Mountain View

41. Movement in the Classroom

One way to make learning especially memorable for your students—and re-energize them if they need it—is to get them moving and actively participating in the engaging lesson. This doesn’t have to be complicated or require a lot of prep; you can find simple ways to add movement to work you’re already doing. For example, don’t just give your high schoolers a list of discussion questions; print out the questions and place them around your classroom. This will get your kids up and moving as they talk to each other! 

42. Literary Puzzle Pieces 

Sometimes a simple visual can give your students a new perspective on their work. Help them understand literary themes by comparing them to jigsaw puzzles—drive the point home by having them create their own paper puzzle pieces as they discuss the themes in your texts. First, put your high schoolers in small groups and give each group large paper puzzle pieces. Explain that each puzzle piece represents an element in your book; as they fill in the pieces they’ll be “solving the puzzle” of understanding your text. You can use this activity in different ways depending on the needs of your class, combining group discussion with independent work. It’s an ideal, hands-on discussion prompt to help your kids better grasp the subject material.

Learn More: Learning in Room 213

Teaching, Learning, & Professional Development Center

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How Do I Create Meaningful and Effective Assignments?

Prepared by allison boye, ph.d. teaching, learning, and professional development center.

Assessment is a necessary part of the teaching and learning process, helping us measure whether our students have really learned what we want them to learn. While exams and quizzes are certainly favorite and useful methods of assessment, out of class assignments (written or otherwise) can offer similar insights into our students' learning.  And just as creating a reliable test takes thoughtfulness and skill, so does creating meaningful and effective assignments. Undoubtedly, many instructors have been on the receiving end of disappointing student work, left wondering what went wrong… and often, those problems can be remedied in the future by some simple fine-tuning of the original assignment.  This paper will take a look at some important elements to consider when developing assignments, and offer some easy approaches to creating a valuable assessment experience for all involved.

First Things First…

Before assigning any major tasks to students, it is imperative that you first define a few things for yourself as the instructor:

• Your goals for the assignment . Why are you assigning this project, and what do you hope your students will gain from completing it? What knowledge, skills, and abilities do you aim to measure with this assignment?  Creating assignments is a major part of overall course design, and every project you assign should clearly align with your goals for the course in general.  For instance, if you want your students to demonstrate critical thinking, perhaps asking them to simply summarize an article is not the best match for that goal; a more appropriate option might be to ask for an analysis of a controversial issue in the discipline. Ultimately, the connection between the assignment and its purpose should be clear to both you and your students to ensure that it is fulfilling the desired goals and doesn't seem like “busy work.” For some ideas about what kinds of assignments match certain learning goals, take a look at this page from DePaul University's Teaching Commons.
• Have they experienced “socialization” in the culture of your discipline (Flaxman, 2005)? Are they familiar with any conventions you might want them to know? In other words, do they know the “language” of your discipline, generally accepted style guidelines, or research protocols?
• Do they know how to conduct research?  Do they know the proper style format, documentation style, acceptable resources, etc.? Do they know how to use the library (Fitzpatrick, 1989) or evaluate resources?
• What kinds of writing or work have they previously engaged in?  For instance, have they completed long, formal writing assignments or research projects before? Have they ever engaged in analysis, reflection, or argumentation? Have they completed group assignments before?  Do they know how to write a literature review or scientific report?

In his book Engaging Ideas (1996), John Bean provides a great list of questions to help instructors focus on their main teaching goals when creating an assignment (p.78):

1. What are the main units/modules in my course?

2. What are my main learning objectives for each module and for the course?

3. What thinking skills am I trying to develop within each unit and throughout the course?

4. What are the most difficult aspects of my course for students?

5. If I could change my students' study habits, what would I most like to change?

6. What difference do I want my course to make in my students' lives?

What your students need to know

Once you have determined your own goals for the assignment and the levels of your students, you can begin creating your assignment.  However, when introducing your assignment to your students, there are several things you will need to clearly outline for them in order to ensure the most successful assignments possible.

• First, you will need to articulate the purpose of the assignment . Even though you know why the assignment is important and what it is meant to accomplish, you cannot assume that your students will intuit that purpose. Your students will appreciate an understanding of how the assignment fits into the larger goals of the course and what they will learn from the process (Hass & Osborn, 2007). Being transparent with your students and explaining why you are asking them to complete a given assignment can ultimately help motivate them to complete the assignment more thoughtfully.
• If you are asking your students to complete a writing assignment, you should define for them the “rhetorical or cognitive mode/s” you want them to employ in their writing (Flaxman, 2005). In other words, use precise verbs that communicate whether you are asking them to analyze, argue, describe, inform, etc.  (Verbs like “explore” or “comment on” can be too vague and cause confusion.) Provide them with a specific task to complete, such as a problem to solve, a question to answer, or an argument to support.  For those who want assignments to lead to top-down, thesis-driven writing, John Bean (1996) suggests presenting a proposition that students must defend or refute, or a problem that demands a thesis answer.
• It is also a good idea to define the audience you want your students to address with their assignment, if possible – especially with writing assignments.  Otherwise, students will address only the instructor, often assuming little requires explanation or development (Hedengren, 2004; MIT, 1999). Further, asking students to address the instructor, who typically knows more about the topic than the student, places the student in an unnatural rhetorical position.  Instead, you might consider asking your students to prepare their assignments for alternative audiences such as other students who missed last week's classes, a group that opposes their position, or people reading a popular magazine or newspaper.  In fact, a study by Bean (1996) indicated the students often appreciate and enjoy assignments that vary elements such as audience or rhetorical context, so don't be afraid to get creative!
• Obviously, you will also need to articulate clearly the logistics or “business aspects” of the assignment . In other words, be explicit with your students about required elements such as the format, length, documentation style, writing style (formal or informal?), and deadlines.  One caveat, however: do not allow the logistics of the paper take precedence over the content in your assignment description; if you spend all of your time describing these things, students might suspect that is all you care about in their execution of the assignment.
• Finally, you should clarify your evaluation criteria for the assignment. What elements of content are most important? Will you grade holistically or weight features separately? How much weight will be given to individual elements, etc?  Another precaution to take when defining requirements for your students is to take care that your instructions and rubric also do not overshadow the content; prescribing too rigidly each element of an assignment can limit students' freedom to explore and discover. According to Beth Finch Hedengren, “A good assignment provides the purpose and guidelines… without dictating exactly what to say” (2004, p. 27).  If you decide to utilize a grading rubric, be sure to provide that to the students along with the assignment description, prior to their completion of the assignment.

A great way to get students engaged with an assignment and build buy-in is to encourage their collaboration on its design and/or on the grading criteria (Hudd, 2003). In his article “Conducting Writing Assignments,” Richard Leahy (2002) offers a few ideas for building in said collaboration:

• Ask the students to develop the grading scale themselves from scratch, starting with choosing the categories.

• Set the grading categories yourself, but ask the students to help write the descriptions.

• Draft the complete grading scale yourself, then give it to your students for review and suggestions.

A Few Do's and Don'ts…

Determining your goals for the assignment and its essential logistics is a good start to creating an effective assignment. However, there are a few more simple factors to consider in your final design. First, here are a few things you should do :

• Do provide detail in your assignment description . Research has shown that students frequently prefer some guiding constraints when completing assignments (Bean, 1996), and that more detail (within reason) can lead to more successful student responses.  One idea is to provide students with physical assignment handouts , in addition to or instead of a simple description in a syllabus.  This can meet the needs of concrete learners and give them something tangible to refer to.  Likewise, it is often beneficial to make explicit for students the process or steps necessary to complete an assignment, given that students – especially younger ones – might need guidance in planning and time management (MIT, 1999).
• Do use open-ended questions.  The most effective and challenging assignments focus on questions that lead students to thinking and explaining, rather than simple yes or no answers, whether explicitly part of the assignment description or in the  brainstorming heuristics (Gardner, 2005).
• Do direct students to appropriate available resources . Giving students pointers about other venues for assistance can help them get started on the right track independently. These kinds of suggestions might include information about campus resources such as the University Writing Center or discipline-specific librarians, suggesting specific journals or books, or even sections of their textbook, or providing them with lists of research ideas or links to acceptable websites.
• Do consider providing models – both successful and unsuccessful models (Miller, 2007). These models could be provided by past students, or models you have created yourself.  You could even ask students to evaluate the models themselves using the determined evaluation criteria, helping them to visualize the final product, think critically about how to complete the assignment, and ideally, recognize success in their own work.
• Do consider including a way for students to make the assignment their own. In their study, Hass and Osborn (2007) confirmed the importance of personal engagement for students when completing an assignment.  Indeed, students will be more engaged in an assignment if it is personally meaningful, practical, or purposeful beyond the classroom.  You might think of ways to encourage students to tap into their own experiences or curiosities, to solve or explore a real problem, or connect to the larger community.  Offering variety in assignment selection can also help students feel more individualized, creative, and in control.
• If your assignment is substantial or long, do consider sequencing it. Far too often, assignments are given as one-shot final products that receive grades at the end of the semester, eternally abandoned by the student.  By sequencing a large assignment, or essentially breaking it down into a systematic approach consisting of interconnected smaller elements (such as a project proposal, an annotated bibliography, or a rough draft, or a series of mini-assignments related to the longer assignment), you can encourage thoughtfulness, complexity, and thoroughness in your students, as well as emphasize process over final product.

Next are a few elements to avoid in your assignments:

• Do not ask too many questions in your assignment.  In an effort to challenge students, instructors often err in the other direction, asking more questions than students can reasonably address in a single assignment without losing focus. Offering an overly specific “checklist” prompt often leads to externally organized papers, in which inexperienced students “slavishly follow the checklist instead of integrating their ideas into more organically-discovered structure” (Flaxman, 2005).
• Do not expect or suggest that there is an “ideal” response to the assignment. A common error for instructors is to dictate content of an assignment too rigidly, or to imply that there is a single correct response or a specific conclusion to reach, either explicitly or implicitly (Flaxman, 2005). Undoubtedly, students do not appreciate feeling as if they must read an instructor's mind to complete an assignment successfully, or that their own ideas have nowhere to go, and can lose motivation as a result. Similarly, avoid assignments that simply ask for regurgitation (Miller, 2007). Again, the best assignments invite students to engage in critical thinking, not just reproduce lectures or readings.
• Do not provide vague or confusing commands . Do students know what you mean when they are asked to “examine” or “discuss” a topic? Return to what you determined about your students' experiences and levels to help you decide what directions will make the most sense to them and what will require more explanation or guidance, and avoid verbiage that might confound them.
• Do not impose impossible time restraints or require the use of insufficient resources for completion of the assignment.  For instance, if you are asking all of your students to use the same resource, ensure that there are enough copies available for all students to access – or at least put one copy on reserve in the library. Likewise, make sure that you are providing your students with ample time to locate resources and effectively complete the assignment (Fitzpatrick, 1989).

The assignments we give to students don't simply have to be research papers or reports. There are many options for effective yet creative ways to assess your students' learning! Here are just a few:

Journals, Posters, Portfolios, Letters, Brochures, Management plans, Editorials, Instruction Manuals, Imitations of a text, Case studies, Debates, News release, Dialogues, Videos, Collages, Plays, Power Point presentations

Ultimately, the success of student responses to an assignment often rests on the instructor's deliberate design of the assignment. By being purposeful and thoughtful from the beginning, you can ensure that your assignments will not only serve as effective assessment methods, but also engage and delight your students. If you would like further help in constructing or revising an assignment, the Teaching, Learning, and Professional Development Center is glad to offer individual consultations. In addition, look into some of the resources provided below.

Online Resources

“Creating Effective Assignments” http://www.unh.edu/teaching-excellence/resources/Assignments.htm This site, from the University of New Hampshire's Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning,  provides a brief overview of effective assignment design, with a focus on determining and communicating goals and expectations.

Gardner, T.  (2005, June 12). Ten Tips for Designing Writing Assignments. Traci's Lists of Ten. http://www.tengrrl.com/tens/034.shtml This is a brief yet useful list of tips for assignment design, prepared by a writing teacher and curriculum developer for the National Council of Teachers of English .  The website will also link you to several other lists of “ten tips” related to literacy pedagogy.

“How to Create Effective Assignments for College Students.”  http:// tilt.colostate.edu/retreat/2011/zimmerman.pdf     This PDF is a simplified bulleted list, prepared by Dr. Toni Zimmerman from Colorado State University, offering some helpful ideas for coming up with creative assignments.

“Learner-Centered Assessment” http://cte.uwaterloo.ca/teaching_resources/tips/learner_centered_assessment.html From the Centre for Teaching Excellence at the University of Waterloo, this is a short list of suggestions for the process of designing an assessment with your students' interests in mind. “Matching Learning Goals to Assignment Types.” http://teachingcommons.depaul.edu/How_to/design_assignments/assignments_learning_goals.html This is a great page from DePaul University's Teaching Commons, providing a chart that helps instructors match assignments with learning goals.

Additional References Bean, J.C. (1996). Engaging ideas: The professor's guide to integrating writing, critical thinking, and active learning in the classroom . San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Fitzpatrick, R. (1989). Research and writing assignments that reduce fear lead to better papers and more confident students. Writing Across the Curriculum , 3.2, pp. 15 – 24.

Flaxman, R. (2005). Creating meaningful writing assignments. The Teaching Exchange .  Retrieved Jan. 9, 2008 from http://www.brown.edu/Administration/Sheridan_Center/pubs/teachingExchange/jan2005/01_flaxman.pdf

Hass, M. & Osborn, J. (2007, August 13). An emic view of student writing and the writing process. Across the Disciplines, 4. 

Hedengren, B.F. (2004). A TA's guide to teaching writing in all disciplines . Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's.

Hudd, S. S. (2003, April). Syllabus under construction: Involving students in the creation of class assignments.  Teaching Sociology , 31, pp. 195 – 202.

Leahy, R. (2002). Conducting writing assignments. College Teaching , 50.2, pp. 50 – 54.

Miller, H. (2007). Designing effective writing assignments.  Teaching with writing .  University of Minnesota Center for Writing. Retrieved Jan. 9, 2008, from http://writing.umn.edu/tww/assignments/designing.html

MIT Online Writing and Communication Center (1999). Creating Writing Assignments. Retrieved January 9, 2008 from http://web.mit.edu/writing/Faculty/createeffective.html .

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• Winter 2021

ENGL 572 A: Methods and Materials for Teaching English as a Second Language

Syllabus description:.

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ENGLISH 572

METHODS AND MATERIALS DEVELOPMENT IN TESOL

Course: English 572                                                                              Instructor: TJ Walker

Classes: MW: 10:30-12:20                                                               Office: Cyberspace!

Classroom: Zoom                                                                            Office Hrs. MW: 12:30-1:30

Quarter: Winter 2021                                                                             Email: [email protected]

https://washington.zoom.us/j/91395618866

Canvas Page:

  https://canvas.uw.edu/courses/1434404

Google Doc:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1KvsG9QkTqafTrrmmZbnqtPWw2s3z-ay3982TgjXFEkE/edit#

COURSE OVERVIEW

With a little imagination, we can see how a good method for teaching English in one situation may be disastrous in another. Effective language teaching depends on many variables (student interests, needs, and backgrounds; access to teaching materials; teacher experience and personality, institutional requirements, etc.) and teachers must be prepared to adjust and adapt their methods accordingly. In this course, we will approach the topic of TESOL methods and materials development from the perspective that there is not a singular “best” method for teaching English. Although there is no universal, perfect TESOL method, exploring the historical evolution of TESOL methodology can give us insight into the variety of methods that have been employed in TESOL and can help us practice the metacognitive reflection that we will need to determine the methods we use in our future teaching. We will organize and participate in regular workshops and familiarize ourselves with a diverse set of hands-on activities, pedagogical approaches, and teaching philosophies.  We will develop flexible and broadly applicable macro strategies for language teaching that may help us better select the appropriate micro strategies required for any specific teaching moment.

REQUIRED TEXTS

• *Kumaravadivelu, B. (2006). Understanding Language Teaching. From Method to Postmethod . Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. [ULT]
• *Kumaravadivelu, B. (2003). Beyond Methods: Macrostrategies for Language Teaching . New Haven and London: Yale University Press. [BM]
• *Mishan, F. & Timmis, I. (2015).  Materials Development for TESOL . Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. [MD]
• **Richards, J. C. & Rodgers, T. S. (2014). Approaches and Methods in Language Teaching (Cambridge Language Teaching Library), 3rd Edition. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. [AMLT]
• Additional readings will be made available electronically.

* These books are available as E-books on the UW Library website

** This book can be ordered from Amazon or other online retailers.

(Note: This syllabus is based on versions of syllabi by MATESOL faculty who have taught this course previously, e.g., Priti Sandhu, Ann Wennerstrom, Sandra Silberstein, Suhanthie Motha, amongst others).

Grading 10%     Class participation

10%     Language Teaching Autobiography

15 %     Teaching Method Demonstrations (7.5 + 7.5)

30%     In-Class Seminar 

35%      TESOL Methods/Materials Development Project

ASSIGNMENTS

1.                    participation and attendance.

(10% of course grade)

Unless you have made prior arrangements with me (TJ) You are expected to attend all class sessions and participate actively in discussions. You will be assigned a grade for participation and attendance, and this grade will take into account the quality and substance of your contribution to the collaborative learning of the class community. As a seminar, the success of our class depends on each of us coming prepared to engage with the readings and topics of each session. If you must be absent, let me know in advance and please arrange to have a classmate pass on notes and handouts. You are responsible for all course work and for maintaining deadlines, even when you are absent. Given the global pandemic and all the accompanying disruptions, there is an even greater need to communicate with me (TJ) as soon as possible about any difficulties you may be having with reading, class attendance, and coursework. I expect everyone to do what it takes to achieve full participation points and ensure that we have a rich learning environment throughout the quarter.

Evaluation Criteria:

• Arriving/logging-in on time to all classes. If there are unavoidable reasons that keep you from attending, please e-mail me with an explanation, ideally before class but definitely on the same day that you cannot be in class.
• Thoroughly reading and processing assigned readings prior to class.
• Providing thoughtful contributions to class discussions.

2. Language Teaching Autobiography

            (2-3 pages, double-spaced) (10% of course grade); Due: Monday, January 11 th .

Teachers are theorizers who practice and write from their own positionalities and experiences. In this assignment, which supports connections between teachers’ experiences and teachers’ intellectual theorizing, you are asked to write about your language teaching experiences. Reflect on some or all of the following questions: How did you learn to teach? Were you taught specific “methods”? What teaching methods have you drawn on in your past practice, and how did you come to use these methods? What role did methods play in your teaching? Provide specific examples. How have social circumstances impacted your teaching? What did you like about your language teaching experiences, what did you dislike? How would you teach differently in retrospect? What sources of knowledge did you draw upon in your past teaching (e.g. mentors, language learning experiences, supervisors, institutionally prescribed methods)? In the light of your past experiences, what do you need to know about TESOL methods that will support your intellectual skills in analyzing new situations and will equip you to teach in them? Use your own language, the language that makes sense for you, as you describe the evolution of your ideas. It is not necessary for you to use TESOL terminology if it is not cohesive with your own voice. This paper should be a reflective narrative piece rooted in your personal experience.

In your autobiography, you should:

• Thoughtfully discuss your experiences teaching languages
• Reflect upon the significance of your experiences for your future language teaching practice
• Raise questions about language teaching methods and contexts of learning
• Share a thoughtful, interesting 2-minute précis (summary) of your narrative with your classmates

3. Teaching Method Demonstrations

(15% of course grade) (Due 1/13 and 1/20)

In order to help each other to visualize the various methods that contribute to the historical terrain of our field, each class member will lead a 10-12-minute demonstration for each of two English language teaching methods or approaches as delineated in the AMLT book in Sections I, II, and III. You are welcome to teach a language other than English using the method that you have chosen, although it is also fine to teach English. Check the course schedule for names of methods/approaches and their scheduled demonstrations. You can sign up for your demonstrations during class.

Description and Evaluation Criteria:

In each of your two teaching method demonstrations, you should:

• Include a brief (1-2 minute) discussion of the history, main principles, language learning theories underlying the method/approach, as well as a critical evaluation of the same. Explain in what situations this method might still be considered useful or appropriate. Feel free to use our readings in ULT as a resource for this.
• Clearly demonstrate the method or approach by teaching one activity (about 5 minutes) that exemplify what you understand to be its main pedagogical tenets. Because we will be online, this may require more creativity and compromise in some cases. Do not hesitate to get in touch with me (TJ) if you have questions about how to prepare for this!
• Be sure to include a brief Q&A about the method or approach at the end of your presentation. Be prepared to discuss the questions: How much scope is there to use this method to explore language as a system? As a discourse? As ideology? and How might this method reflect and/or impact the social circumstances of a language learning environment?
• Include a 1-page summary of your demonstration and share a digital copy of this summary with the class on the appropriate Canvas Discussion Board. This summary should include short, written responses to the questions in the previous bullet.

4. In-Class Seminar

(30% of course grade)

Education is increasingly effective when learners are allowed more control in decisions regarding the content as well as the manner of their own instruction. This assignment will give you the chance to control, design, and teach one hour of our class. Each student will conduct ONE in-class seminar on one of the topics from the syllabus. (See the course schedule for the days and topics ear-marked for these seminars, see our Google Doc for a sign-up table). You will be responsible for designing a 60-MINUTE class seminar that comprehensively instructs us on the assigned readings for the day . In addition to using these assigned readings, you are required to incorporate three outside texts into the seminar. Two of which must be related to the topic/s of the day, and one of which should be about online teaching or teaching with technology.

• Your seminar should review major assumptions and debates around the scheduled topic/s as these are discussed in the assigned readings for the day . (See the course schedule below). In order to do this, formulate thoughtful and creative questions about these texts for class discussions and include them in a digital handout.   ALL the assigned readings of the day should be covered in your seminar, but you do not need to give them all equal weight. You may include brief summaries of these assigned readings in your handout. But refrain from presenting lengthy oral summaries of these texts during your seminar.
• You must also present new understandings garnered from an additional 2 outside readings related to the assigned readings , and 1 outside reading related to online language teaching and/or the use of “technology” in language teaching. Be sure to integrate these 3 outside readings in your seminar in creative and interesting ways. The more connections you can make between your outside sources and the seminar discussions, the more it will enhance the learning experience of your cohort as well as having a positive impact on your grade. Your handout should include an annotated bibliography of these 3 outside resources.
• An important element of the seminar will be the presentation and critiques of published textbook materials that bear some relation to the readings of the day. For example, if part of your seminar is on listening, please include in your handout, one or two listening activities from a published textbook. Alternatively, you can use materials available on the web. You will be responsible for generating a discussion on the efficacy of these activities. Be sure to insert in your handout copies of the selected published materials and the discussion questions that you would like your peers to engage with in relation to these materials. NOTE: On some days, the readings do not lend themselves well to specific lessons (e.g. In-class Seminar 1, 1/27). In this case, you are free to choose materials and evaluate them from the perspective of our course as a whole (rather than simply through the day’s readings).
• You are also required to include a sample lesson plan related to the ideas discussed in the assigned readings. In the plan, include a brief description of the hypothetical class, students, classroom setting, and teaching objectives. Talk us through your plan and teach one activity from it in class . Try and involve as many of your peers as possible in this teaching demonstration. All such demonstrations should be followed by whole-class discussions about the activity, its efficacy, suggestions for similar activities, doing things in different ways, how others have taught similar activities, etc. Therefore, please plan for 8-10 minutes of post demo class discussion. As noted above, for some days, (e.g. 1/27), the connection between your lesson plan and the readings may have to be more general.
• It is crucial that you limit lectures to a minimum . Instead of lecturing the class using your handout as a template, provide thoughtful discussion questions in creative and interesting formats to generate maximum discussion. The lecture part of your seminar should be less than 8 minutes.

Things to note for this assignment:

1) Please meet with me at least once to discuss your seminar – the earlier the better but definitely ONE

    WEEK in advance of your seminar.

2) Also e-mail me an outline of your seminar TWO DAYS in advance.

3) This assignment requires a considerable amount of research and planning, so please plan accordingly

     and begin working weeks in advance.

Checklist for In-class Seminar:

• Brief summaries of the assigned texts
• Thoughtful and creative questions to spark class discussion about these texts
• An annotated bibliography of at least three outside sources (see details above)
• Copies of published materials related (if possible) to the topics in the reading that day
• Include a Sample Lesson Plan (from which you will actually teach one activity during our class)
• Integrate insights from your outside readings
• Lead discussion on the “published materials” you have chosen
• Teach one activity from your included lesson plan
• Lead discussion on the teaching activity you demonstrated
• Minimize time spent “lecturing.” (Maximize questions, discussion, and interaction)

The goal for this assignment is to provide questions and materials that will spark lively discussion and debate in our class and to practice thinking carefully about how to connect our readings to the practical aspects of teaching.

5. TESOL Methods/Materials Development Project

(12-15 pages) (35% of course grade) Due March 12 th

Presentation at end of quarter: An important aspect of this assignment will be a 20-minute power point presentation of your project to the class at the end of the quarter. Please include a 1-page handout and list of references.

Your final project will explore some area of TESOL methodology or materials development.  I recommend that you speak to me as early as possible about your chosen topic as each paper will need a degree of flexibility which can only be discussed face-to-face (or zoom to zoom, as the case may be).  You may approach your task in one of three ways:  (1) You may write a theoretical research paper where you focus on a particular methodology, approach, or method-related issue, with an analysis of underlying assumptions and tensions; (2) you may develop a course plan and set of materials for a particular context with an extended rationale; (3) alternatively, you may combine these two in some way , for example by providing a description of a particular methodology, approach, or method-related issue along with a discussion of theoretical issues and sample course and lesson plans for a specific context. Whichever option you choose, your paper must be more than a description of a set of materials or a particular methodology.  There must be extensive analysis and connections must be made to the course readings as much as possible. More specifically:

Option 1: Theoretical Paper

You may investigate a particular methodology, approach, or method-related issue.  You could: a) explore a current approach such as Task Based Language Teaching or Content Based language Teaching or b) delve into a methods-related issue (such as TESOL standards). Whichever of these you select, be sure to explain the approach or methods related-issue and include an analysis of its underlying assumptions. For example, what are its historical antecedents? How is the approach consistent (or not) with SLA theories and research? What are its strengths? What potential problems might it present? In which situations might it be most successful? How might it need to be adapted to suit specific student demographics? What has research within TESOL demonstrated about the efficacy (or otherwise) of this approach/method? This will be a theoretical paper , so you will need to read deeply and critically about the methodology or approach you select. Evaluation will depend on the extent of your reading beyond the course readings, the manner in which you synthesize your understandings, and your demonstration of a thorough and critical understanding of the strengths and potential shortcomings of the approach or method. Please follow an academic APA style for writing this paper.

Option 2: Course Plan

Alternatively, you may develop a course plan with sample materials, including a rationale for a specific student population . Provide a description of a pedagogical context that your course will address (e.g., teaching English to undocumented adult day workers in a community advocacy center; teaching academic writing in a linked history course, teaching academic English to (non) matriculated students, etc.) Be sure to provide detailed descriptions of the student populations and the course along with a theoretical analysis and justification for your plan . The theoretical analysis and justification of your plan will need to be grounded in the course readings. Your course plan should include a syllabus of the course with the following elements:

• a course description,
• the overall goals and objectives of the course,
• a schedule of topics,
• major assignments

A dditionally , provide a detailed plan for a single week or unit of activities . This should include:

• daily lesson plans,
• sample activities with teacher-student roles delineated
• home-work assignments, etc.

Furthermore , explain how and why all the materials you develop will promote language learning among this particular student body.

(Option 3: A blend of Options 1 and 2)

If you have a project in mind that would incorporate a different arrangement and/or emphasis of the requirements illustrated in the first two options, please let me know and we can work out an “Option 3” that may better fit your own interests and educational needs!

Evaluation Criteria

In your TESOL Methodology Project, you should:

• Explore a topic that reflects the scope and content of the course
• Thoughtfully integrate class readings into your paper, reference at least 5 class readings
• Reference and demonstrate an understanding of at least 5 additional readings beyond class

Readings (Option 1)

• Demonstrate a thorough understanding of the methodological tensions surrounding your topic
• Include insightful reflection and personal theorizing
• Demonstrate appropriate lesson planning (Option 2)
• Write lucidly, support your claims, and avoid redundancy
• Use APA style with consistency, including an appropriately cited list of references
• Give a 20-minute power point presentation of your project
• Provide a succinct 1-page, bulleted handout and a list of references to accompany your presentation (avoid writing out entire sentences and paragraphs)

Previous topics for the ENGL 572 Final Project have included:

• Blog-based ESL Writing Course
• Course proposal for teaching grammar through popular music
• Using immigrant women’s stories to develop literacy
• Video serial course for teaching EFL to Swedish teens
• Listening and Speaking Skill Development in Preliterate Refugees
• The state of EFL in Taiwan
• Specialized syllabi for adult English learners in Japan
• Project-based teaching for large classes.

General Assignment Guidelines

• Complete all assigned readings on time (see Course Schedule).
• Submit all assignments to Canvas on the days and times noted in the class schedule. Late submissions may be graded down.
• The syllabus is not final; assignments, and due dates are subject to change

Information and Resources

What grades in graduate classes usually mean:.

Grading in graduate seminars is often different than that in undergraduate courses

Grades in graduate seminars are often compressed at the top of the spectrum

4.0: This grade indicates that a student has completed all the work at an exemplary level.

3.9 : This grade indicates strong graduate-level work

3.8 : This grade indicates that the work has generally been strong, with an occasional weakness

3.7 : This grade indicates that the work has some strengths, but with a number of weaknesses

3.6 : This grade indicates that the work has some quality, but several areas need major improvement

3.5 or below : In at least one area, the minimum requirements for the course are not being met. The student may not have completed all assignments for the course, may have submitted a paper late, may have submitted a lower-quality final paper or project, may have a spotty record of attendance, or may have regularly detracted from the intellectual work of the class.

Code of Academic Integrity

Students are expected to be committed to the principles of truth and academic honesty and to follow the Code of Academic Integrity, the full text of which is available at:

https://depts.washington.edu/grading/pdf/AcademicResponsibility.pdf

Plagiarism is a tricky topic.  A good guideline to follow is: If you know that you are expected to write something yourself, don’t get the writing from somewhere else. If you are uncertain how to borrow ideas and properly cite sources, ask TJ!

Odegaard Writing and Research Center (OWRC)

The Odegaard Writing and Research Center (OWRC) is available to assist both graduate and undergraduate students with the process of writing, from understanding an assignment to brainstorming and identifying sources to outlining and drafting to making final revisions and tying up loose ends. OWRC offers free, one-to-one, 45-minute tutoring sessions for any writing or research project, as well as for personal projects such as applications or cover letters and resumes. For more information, or to schedule an appointment (more than 500 available per week!), see the website ( https://depts.washington.edu/owrc ).  For obvious reasons, all appointments are conducted online this quarter. Take time to browse their collection of online resources at:

https://depts.washington.edu/owrc/for-writers

Access and Accommodations: 

Your experience in this class is important to me. If you have already established accommodations with Disability Resources for Students (DRS), please communicate your approved accommodations to me at your earliest convenience so we can discuss your needs in this course.

If you have not yet established services through DRS, but have a temporary health condition or permanent disability that requires accommodations (conditions include but not limited to; mental health, attention-related, learning, vision, hearing, physical or health impacts), please contact DRS at 206-543-8924 or   [email protected]   or   disability.uw.edu. DRS offers resources and coordinates reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities and/or temporary health conditions.  Reasonable accommodations are established through an interactive process between you, your instructor(s) and DRS. It is the policy and practice of the University of Washington to create inclusive and accessible learning environments consistent with federal and state law.

Religious Accommodation Clause

Washington state law requires that UW develop a policy for accommodation of student absences or significant hardship due to reasons of faith or conscience, or for organized religious activities. The UW’s policy, including more information about how to request an accommodation, is available at Faculty Syllabus Guidelines and Resources. Accommodations must be requested within the first two weeks of this course using the  Religious Accommodations Request form available at  https://registrar.washington.edu/students/religious-accommodations-request/ .

Leadership Without Borders

I am trained as an Undocu Ally. Undocu Ally training is intended to provide UW staff and faculty with knowledge about resources, services, best practices, and allyship for undocumented students. In 2003, House Bill 1079 was signed into law in Washington State, allowing eligible undocumented students to pay in-state tuition. Resources, support, and services for undocumented students are available from the Leadership Without Borders (LWB) Center and the Kelly Ethnic Cultural Center.

http://depts.washington.edu/ecc/lwb/

UW SafeCampus

• Preventing violence is everyone's responsibility. If you're concerned, tell someone.
• Always call 911 if you or others may be in danger.
• Call 206-685-SAFE (7233) to report non-urgent threats of violence and for referrals to UW counseling and/or safety resources. TTY or VP callers, please call through your preferred relay service.
• Don't walk alone. Campus safety guards can walk with you on campus after dark. Call Husky NightWalk 206-685-WALK (9255).
• Stay connected in an emergency with UW Alert. Register your mobile number to receive instant notification of campus emergencies via text and voice messaging. Sign up online at www.washington.edu/alert
• For more information visit the SafeCampus website at * washington.edu/safecampus *.

The University of Washington Q Center is a fierce, primarily  student run  resource center dedicated to serving anyone with or without a gender or sexuality – UW students, staff, faculty, alum, and community members.  They host and support  student groups , put on regular programming  events , house a lending  library , and amplify student voices on their  Student Blog .  Explore their website for more information or stop by the  Husky Union Building , Room 315 http://depts.washington.edu/qcenter/wordpress/

Guidelines for Communicating With Faculty

The unwritten rules of academia are often difficult to decipher. This article attempts to demystify some conventions surrounding communicating with faculty. It is a bit tongue-in-cheek, but it has some good guidelines:

https://medium.com/@lportwoodstacer/how-to-email-your-professor-without-being-annoying-af-cf64ae0e4087

Students in Distress

Graduate schooling is a period of high stress. If you encounter psychological problems that interfere with your life as a student, services are available to you at Hall Health at 206.583.1551 during business hours or 206.731.2500 after hours, http://depts.washington.edu/hhpccweb/

Food Insecurity

If you have difficulty accessing sufficient food or lack a safe and stable place to live, and if you believe this need may affect your academic achievement, you are urged to contact the Office of Student Life at http://www.washington.edu/studentlife/ . Please also be aware that the Campus Food Pantry (green.uw.edu) is available to help address food insecurity in the UW community.

COURSE SCHEDULE (Subject to change)

Mon: 1/4. General introduction to the course

General introductions , introduction to the syllabus and assignments, discussion of student and teacher expectations from the course,

Wed: 1/6 . Language, Learning, and Teaching

Required Readings:

• ULT Chapter 1- Language: Concepts and Precepts
• ULT Chapter 2 - Learning: Factors and Processes
• ULT Chapter 3 - Teaching: Input and Interaction

While reading attend to the following:

• How is language explained as a system, as discourse and as ideology in Chapter 1?
• The intake framework outlined in Chapter 2: Are its various elements clearly elucidated?
• The complex relationship between input and interaction on the one hand and intake factors and intake processes on the other hand in Chapter 3.

Sign-up for : (i) Teaching Method Demonstrations and (ii) In-Class Seminar

Mon 1/11 . Language Teaching Methods: Conceptual Issues

• ULT Chapter 4: Constituents and Categories of Methods
• ULT Chapter 5: Language-Centered Methods
• ULT Chapter 6: Learner-Centered Methods
• ULT Chapter 7: Learning-Centered Methods

While reading think of the following:

• The differentiation between method and methodology, and between approach, method, and technique.
• The distinction between language-, learner-, and learning-centered methods

Due: Language Teaching Autobiography on Canvas.

Wed 1/13. Language Teaching Methods and Approaches Demonstrations

Required Reading :

• AMLT Sections I and II (Note: Each student must select two of the methods/approaches) from these sections for their demonstrations for this week) 

Language Teaching Method Demonstrations (AMLT):

• Oral Approach and Situational Language Learning
• The Audiolingual Method
• Communicative Language Teaching
• Content-Based Instruction and Language Integrated Learning
• Whole Language
• Competency-Based Language Teaching, standards, and the Common European Framework of Reference
• Task-Based Language Teaching
• Text-Based Instruction

Mon 1/18 MLK Day No class

Wed 1/20. Language Teaching Methods and Approaches Demonstrations contd.

Required Reading:

• AMLT Section II

Language Teaching Method Demonstrations (AMLT) contd.:

• The Lexical Approach
• Multiple Intelligences
• Cooperative Language Learning
• The Natural Approach
• Total Physical Response
• The Silent Way
• Community Language Learning
• Suggestopedia

Mon 1/25 Postmethod

• Pennycook, A. (1989). The Concept of Method, Interested Knowledge, and the Politics of Language Teaching. TESOL Quarterly 23 (4), 589-618.
• ULT Chapter 8: Postmethod Condition.

While reading think about the following:

• What arguments were levelled against specific methods by the writers.
• What are the specific elements of the postmethod condition as described in ULT?
• To what extent can you relate these readings to your language learning and teaching experiences?

Wed 1/27. Postmethod contd.

• ULT Chapter 9: Postmethod Pedagogy. (read pp. 185-198)
• ULT Chapter 10: Postmethod Predicament
• Prabhu, N. S. (1990). There Is No Best Method - Why? TESOL Quarterly 24 (2), 161-76.

In-Class Seminar 1

Name of student conducting the seminar:

Mon 2/1. Macrostrategies for Language Teaching

• BM Chapter 1: Conceptualizing Teaching Acts
• BM Chapter 3: Maximizing Learning Opportunities
• BM: Chapter 4: Minimizing Perceptual Mismatches

In-Class Seminar 2

Wed 2/3. Macrostrategies for Language Teaching contd.

• BM Chapter 5: Facilitating Negotiated Interaction
• BM Chapter 6: Promoting Learner Autonomy
• BM Chapter 7: Fostering Language Awareness

In-Class Seminar 3

Mon 2/8 . Macrostrategies for Language Teaching contd.

• BM Chapter 8: Activating Intuitive Heuristics
• BM Chapter 9: Contextualizing Linguistic Input
• BM Chapter 10: Integrating Language Skills

In-Class Seminar 4

Wed 2/10 . Macrostrategies for Language Teaching contd.

• BM Chapter 11: Ensuring Social Relevance
• BM Chapter 12: Ensuring Cultural Consciousness

In-Class Seminar 5 (Must include one additional outside source)

Mon 2/15 . President’s day (No class)

Wed 2/17 Materials Development

• MD Chapter 1: Introduction
• MD Chapter 2: Principled Materials Development
• MD Chapter 3: Materials, Methods, and Contexts

                  And either

• MD Chapter 4: Evaluation and Adaptation
• MD Chapter 5: Reconceptualizing Materials for the Technological Environment

In-Class Seminar 6 (Only the class leader today needs to read all 5 chapters; The class leader may

                               include one fewer outside source)

Mon 2/22. Materials Development: Reading and Listening Skills

• MD Chapter 6: Materials to Develop Reading and Listening Skills
• Grabe, W. (2004). Research on Teaching Reading. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 24, 44-69.
• O’Brien, A. and Hegelheimer, V. (2007). Integrating CALL into the classroom: The role of podcasting in an ESL listening strategies course. ReCALL 19 (2): 162-180.

Due: Email TJ a blurb about your final project (what kind of project it is and what is the topic)

In-Class Seminar 7

Wed 2/24 Materials Development: Speaking and Writing Skills

• MD Chapter 7: Materials to Develop Speaking and Writing Skills
• McCarthy, M. and O’Keeffe, A. (2004). Research in the teaching of speaking. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics , 24, 26-43.
• Silva, T. and Brice, C. (2004). Research in Teaching Writing. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics , 24, 70-106.

In-Class Seminar 8

Mon 3/1. Materials Development: Vocabulary and Grammar

• MD Chapter 8: Materials for Vocabulary and Grammar
• Schmitt, N. (2008). Review Article: Instructed Second Language Vocabulary Learning. Language Teaching Research , 12 (3), 329-363.
• Nation, I. S. P. (2011). Research into practice: Vocabulary. Language Teaching , 44, 529-539.
• Ellis, R. (2006). Current Issues in the Teaching of Grammar: An SLA Perspective. TESOL

            Quarterly , 40, 1: 83-107.

In-Class Seminar 9

Wed 3/3. Peer-Review of TESOL Methods/Materials Development Project with Peers

• Bring a draft of your paper to class. You will be paired with people writing on a topic similar to yours if possible, for the peer review. You will read and discuss the papers of at least two other colleagues. Feel free to continue these discussions outside of the class.

Preparation prior to class: You are required to share digital copies of a current draft of your paper with your classmates. This should include sections that you have written up as well as your outlines and ideas for the other parts. For people working on Options 2 and 3 , your drafts can additionally include course outlines, Lesson Plans, materials for specific activities, descriptions of assignments and their criteria, course descriptions, brief accounts of the student population and setting, a list of references for substantiating various parts of your paper, etc. For people working on Option 1 , your draft should include descriptions of the approach/method, the main strengths and challenges, any gaps in extant literature on the topic, list of references, etc.

Additionally, I urge everyone to include ongoing questions and challenges that you are encountering and for which you would like feedback from your classmates. Please mention your option on top of the first page of your draft. This will ease the reviewing process. Ideally, I would like everyone to read and respond to two other papers. In preparation for this peer review and discussion, please e-mail me a 2-3 line blurb about your project one week ahead of this class . This will enable me to pair you with people who are working on similar projects.

Mon 3/8. TESOL Methods/Materials Development Project Presentations

• Come to class prepared for a 20-minute presentation of your TESOL Materials Development Project. Share digital copies of 1-2 page handout.

Wed 3/10. TESOL Methods/Materials Development Project Presentations and Course Evaluation

• Come to class prepared for a 20-minute presentation of your TESOL Materials Development Project. Share digital copies of 1-2 page handout and reference list.
• Class Evaluations
• TESOL Methods/Materials Development Projects due on Canvas Friday, March 12 th by 5.00 pm
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